Dear Editor,
In response to the article released on 12th October 2022, I want to raise my concern on the specific topic above.
The article released yesterday, mentions the $300 fine of a teen drinking kwaso in public places. This is somewhere around the Burnscreek area. The article which was written by Buchanan mentions that the teen was arrested by the Solomon Island police while sitting inside a market with a small mineral bottle of kwaso.
Now, my concern is that if the police did this to this teen than what about those drinking kwaso every day from Sunday to Saturday in the CBD, the central district business or the Point Cruz area and the Central Market especially. There is a huge number of boys that always consume kwaso at the market and at most times, they cause harm to children, women and old people who go to the market to sell or buy food.
Most of the time, I witness those drunkards standing around the bus stop area with bottles of kwaso in their hands, while police patrol trucks pass. Most of the time, they just sit around the bus stop area drinking kwaso and asking people for $2 or even more at times. I even witnessed an old woman crying for her wallet and her mobile phone few weeks ago. As she tried to squeeze her way toward catching the bus, someone snatched all her belongings inside her Renbell bag.
Most of the time, there are so many drunken men drinking in public places like Chinatown and other public areas, and they even cause harm in the sense of shouting and kicking walls or shooting stones or bottles at street light posts, while the police just drive by.
I felt sorry for the teen arrested and was fined for $300. If the police and other responsible authorities do their job accordingly in the sense that they need to arrest those who are drinking at the hearth of the town (Point Cruz everyday) or the big market would be better.
Our society needs peace and our children, women and elderly people deserve respect. Our women usually go to the Central Market every day to buy vegetables and other crops to feed their family and most of the time they encounter bad situations or receive bad language from drunkards and this is not a good practice and should not be tolerated in our Christian society.
I am therefore calling on our police and the responsible bodies like the Honiara City Council to consider this significant matter and conduct what is going to be good and better for our society in order for us to promote a better society in which we will see progress in our society in terms of development perspectives and will promote solidarity and cohesion within our society and our country as a whole.
And to all our good citizens, there are many legal venues around our city for us to go and enjoy ourselves with beverages. So, do check these places out to avoid drinking in public places that will pose harm or threat to our beloved society.
Troystar Besa.
