Banning Buai is creating a ‘hulkanian’ problem

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo

Hulk the Incredible comes to mind when one is asked to identify a comic character to describe the buai ban – which has seen a significant increase in the price of buai and the proliferation of smuggling and associated clandestine and illegal activities. Just like the Hulk, whose transformation is ignited by rage, the imposition of the ban and the incredible increase in price has caused vendors to be far more rebellious and prepared to defy the new rules and regulations.

The now illegal buai trade has created a whole new set of problems and challenges as suppliers and traders compete for the wealth to be acquired from the sale of the ‘green gold’ – leading to violent confrontations and deaths among the competing suppliers and an inexorable growth in lawlessness. The government could only watch as the buai unleashed its wrath on a city that is struggling with what I call a ‘Cinderella’ syndrome.  Whatever cosmetic treatment has been given to the city is quickly being eroded away by ugly red stains that are the aftermath of chewing a nifty combination of the buai nut, lime and mustard.

Stains of red invade the alleys, walls, walkways, footpaths and roads in the city. The presence of the buai husk is so pervasive, every cubic feet of public space in the city has been invaded. Rarely do you find a buai-free zone. The city drainage is overflowing with clot of both newly husked and old betelnut skins. Combating littering in the city is now a daunting task for the city authority.

The more hostile the punishment, the more elusive the conduct of the buai traders to stay one step ahead of the government in this lucrative trade. It seems unfair, but who should we pity? Now the buai vendors are cashing in and their nemesis, the ban, is now revered as their savior. Thanks to the buai ban the value of buai trade has increased by several folds.

Port Moresby in reality is a sham: cosmopolitan only from the outside. At the heart of its supposed modernity is a thriving buai trade that is an eyesore to the government but a lifeline for the city’s large population that earns its income outside of the formal sector. At best Port Moresby can be mistaken for Bruce Wayne’s Gotham with white collar crime now at its peak aided by a police force that is more and more treated with suspicion and disgust by its citizens.

A case in point is the poor response of police in attending to civil matters affecting the city’s ordinary citizens. Police officers are now said to discharge their duties on the precondition that ‘fuel or lunch’ money is provided. Thus there is a strong sentiment among the public that police nowadays prefer to provide ‘escort services’ to businesses and high profile individuals to earn quick bucks than attending to their basic responsibilities. Furthermore, the set-up of unnecessary roadblocks by various road authorities is becoming infamous for soliciting money from the travelling parties. The law of the land seemed more inclined to be lax when dealing with bourgeois than with commoners. Justice in the case of the latter is swift. Combining the ‘Harvey two-face’ style of justice system with a thriving buai trade and you have a city that is reminiscent of New York City during the bootlegging era.      

What resistance is good enough to stop its rampage?

Government efforts are languishing, but the tax payers are ignorant. If we are educated as we claim to be, then how come we allow millions of kina of our contributions being wasted on a failed policy? Our silence is just as responsible for allowing the buai trade to thrive. Imposition of the ban has had a significant impact on the health of the population especially when the chewing of betelnut is argued to be responsible for the spread of TB and mouth cancer. However, when we start to ask the all important question about the ban’s effectiveness in achieving these objectives, we come to a glaring reality that it has instead done more damage than good considering the fact that, since its imposition, loss of lives, smuggling and harassment have become rampant.

Since the buai ban, commonsense has been in ruins. Out on the streets, incivility thrives. Enforcement with its one eye closed is enthralled in this game of ’hide and seek’. There is no way to tell who is who. Enforcers have been tempted and have been found wanting. Now they all want a share of the money they help to make. 

The city is all but a jungle as it witnesses a new style of civil warfare. Buai rangers scamper in all directions in hope of capturing smugglers and traders unaware. Men and women, young and old are on a constant watch to avoid being caught. Their desperation to survive is our economic sin. Who are we to play God in an unjust society where the rich get rich at the expense of the poor?  Jail terms do no good to the traders. Nor are they justified when their crime is provoked by their desperation to survive in an uncompromising city. What good is a law when it takes the bread away from a dying man?