The governor of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea says he stands by his executive's four-year ban on alcohol being sold from bottle shops or liquor stores.
Peter Yama Photo: Supplied
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Peter Yama made the comment after the national brewery and a local MP called for the ban to be reconsidered.
Hotels, clubs and restaurants are exempt from the ban which mainly aims to limit access to alcohol for unemployed youth and low-income earners.
Madang MP Bryan Kramer has publicly criticised the ban saying it will only encourage more bootlegging.
But Governor Yama said the ban had been welcomed by many in the community and he plans to uphold it.
"I want to get Madang people to understand that Madang government intends to rebuild Madang to surface the former glory days. And we will take whatever steps we believe is necessary to achieve our objectives. Law and order is a major problem. Alcohol abuse has been identified as contributing to this."