AN article published in this paper yesterday regarding tinted vehicles has sparked widespread public criticism both on the internet and around Honiara City.
Many have directed critics on the article, its structure and most of all it (article) being too speculative and not having solid proof to establish that tinted vehicles are the cause of increasing social problems in the country today.
“I could not understand how tinted vehicles would cause increase to social problems, especially problems such as teen pregnancy and other things such as intimidation and so forth as speculated by the article?
“Tinted vehicles are roaming all over Honiara and yet it does not have any impact to social problems or behaviour. It’s people who make decisions to do good and bad. It is not tinted vehicles who do such for them,” one Facebook user informed this paper.
Others have said, that social problems going on the rise is a result of population boom lack of employment and training opportunities.
They have also criticised the article for having no solid proof to back up the speculations in it.
“There were no police statistics to prove whatever was speculated.
“If there was a survey conducted then it was not completed, as the negative implications on tinted vehicles in the article was indeed very biased and one sided,” several local news personnel spoken to yesterday told this paper.
When spoken to, an officer from the Traffic Police said, that public vehicles are not supposed to be tinted, adding that it is only private vehicles that should be tinted.
He added that whenever public vehicles are queried about their tinted vehicles, they said that it is because of the hot humid weather conditions in Honiara that causes them to tint their vehicles.
“We tint our vehicles so that whenever the air-condition is turned on, it would be cooler. Heat would be prevented to come into the windscreen by the tints,” a cab driver spoken to said.
Meanwhile the public has called on journalists to be more responsible whenever informing the public on issues they write about.
“Journalists should be more responsible in doing their jobs. Provide us (the public) with proof of whatever it is you are informing us, in order for us to believe the articles you feed us,” was the general words on the streets when queried about the article.
By JEREMY INIFIRI
