Papua New Guineans and SP beer

I couldn’t help but notice a story in the local press a few days ago about UNITECH administration adopting a Zero Tolerance policy towards alcohol on the Lae campus.

Writing a policy is one thing – enforcing a ban is something entirely different. There have always been strict rules in place at all tertiary institutions around Papua New Guinea when it comes to students and alcohol. I bet you anything you like that despite the ban students at the West Taraka campus will be getting drunk this very weekend.

Having the correct policy is not the issue – this country’s got more policies than what you can poke a stick at. The challenge in PNG and in this case UNITECH lies  with implementation, adherence and ultimately the enforcement of existing policies. Interestingly, there’s no mention in the news article (see below) about a similar set of rules being applied to staff.

When Papua New Guineans drink they certainly drink. I have seen drinking sessions last for days and in most cases these benders will keep going until there’s either no more beer left or the cash has run out. This applies to young and old alike. The idea of having a few cold ones just sitting in the fridge waiting for the “right” moment is beyond most. Don’t get me wrong – Papua New Guineans make for excellent drinking partners – they’re a lot of fun to party with – it’s just that they do not know when to stop.

Sometimes I wander whether a Zero Tolerance approach to alcohol needs to be adopted across the whole country. Alcoholism has become a scourge and destroyer of harmony and peace within many communities and families across Papua New Guinea. The problem I see in making this happen would be – you guessed it… implementation! If a total alcohol ban ever came into effect across this land  – the homebrew (steam) and black market beer stores would go absolutely bananas with the best customers naturally being those given the task of enforcing the ban.

Here’s a few slang terms in Tok Pisin used to describe a cold one (or 6):

• Spak Papa: spak=drunk; papa=father.
• SP: South Pacific (the local brew).
• Shortpela meri: shortpela=short; meri=female.
• Shortpela mama: shortpela=short; mama=female.
• Kism wara: wara=water=beer; kisim=bring.
• Marasin: =medicine.
• Bia: the correct term for beer.
• 6 Pax: a six pack of beer.
• Crate or box: a carton of beer (24x).

Zero Tolerance

The National: story by Evah Banige

THE University of Technology (Unitech) in Lae has adopted a tougher stand against drunk students and illegal residents in its campuses. Instead of drunk students having to face the administration’s disciplinary committee, they will be expelled without a hearing from now on.

The move has been necessitated by the cholera outbreak in Lae, due to which it was feared that drunk students would be less prone to observe good hygiene and, thus, be more susceptible to the cholera virus.

The administration will automatically terminate any student under the influence of alcohol trying to enter the university’s main gate…