Governor on path to turning PNG capital into global city

Transcript

The Governor of Papua New Guinea's capital says his long-term goal of re-moulding Port Moresby as a progressive international city requires changing values and behaviour.

Powes Parkop says the city has made significant inroads into reducing violence and crime and people are gradually accepting change, even his controversial public betelnut ban.

Port Moresby is due to host the Pacific Games and an APEC summit in the next few years, and Mr Parkop told Johnny Blades that this is part of PNG asserting its regional leadership role.

POWER PARKOP: Papua New Guinea is the biggest nation in the Pacific, population wise and land size.  We have to play that role because there is no other country that can play that role and in the past we have been a bit of a disappointment to the Pacific promoting bad values but now with the economy growing, we are investing in Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tuvalu, and in Polynesia as well.  We now have to submit ourselves to values that are regional and global, and not our own particular type of values which are not always good, so we have to become responsible regional leaders.  

JOHNNY BLADES: Does that mean changing custom culture though?

PP:  Of course some of the customs we have to for go it especially to do with violence and lack of respect and so on.  We have to change that so that we have a better interaction with our people in the Pacific and in the global community.  We can not bring those types of bad values and practices to the region and to the World.

JB: And this is kind of what your are imparting with the betelnut ban.

PP:  Yes, definitely Johnny.  The betelnut ban might be a severe thing when you look at it on a face value but it's got a bigger picture and that's basically to get our people to change their values, change their behaviour, becoming responsible, take ownership of our city, see our city, a capital city that must set standards, must promote good values, values that are national and international, not values that belong to a particular tribe or particular culture.  We must promote values that are good for all of us, it's a bit universal, so that's the whole idea behind the betelnut ban, gradually getting our people to change to adopt and subscribe to those types of values, betelnut smuggling for example is still a problem in the inner city but we haven't gone back, the city has not gone back fully to what it use to before the ban.

JB:  He must of come in for so much criticism about that, but you had to remain firm right?

PP:  Absolutely, it's not easy to stand up to something that has been a cultural of our people for a long time and people want to maintain that particular habit, it's not a easy habit to kick and for me politically, sometimes I think maybe I should have chosen another battle ground to get our people to change and not take head on a betelnut ban, it's been tough but people have now realising the positive side.