Papua New Guinea’s Information and Communication Technology Minister, Timothy Masiu, has strongly condemned derogatory social media comments directed at Miss Papua New Guinea, May Torovi Hasola, and her family. He described the remarks as “uncalled for” and reflective of a “truly sick” society.
“The derogatory remarks are remarks made not only to our daughter May and her family but to all Bougainvilleans and those that have Bougainvillean blood. It is deplorable and not accepted and I call on the person or persons to be man enough or woman enough to come out in public and say this,” Masiu said.
Hasola, a young woman from Bougainville, recently represented Papua New Guinea at the Miss Pacific Pageant in the Solomon Islands, earning national acclaim for her cultural presentations.
Masiu urged law enforcement to investigate the incident and emphasized the need for citizens to respect individuals contributing positively to the nation. He also announced plans to work with the Minister for Police to utilize cybercrime laws and technology to identify those responsible for the offensive posts.
“I strongly condemn this derogatory comment and again call for an apology. Miss Hasola and her family do not deserve this. In fact, her father who is a doctor has been saving many lives of Papua New Guineans and him and his family to be attacked like this is just sickening and reflects how sick we are becoming,” Masiu added.
As the representative for South Bougainville, Masiu expressed pride in Hasola’s achievements and extended his best wishes for her future endeavors. He noted the consistent success of Bougainvillean women in winning the Miss PNG title and suggested that jealousy might be motivating some of the derogatory remarks.
