Kahuto Chishi Sumi
The purpose of this essay is to spread awareness among the people of Nagaland. But I address three entities in particular, namely, the proponents of liquor prohibition, especially those in the Nagaland Baptist Church Council and other Church bodies, who advocate it, the Legislators of the Nagaland State Assembly and the Executive of the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union.
To the advocates of prohibition I categorically state, “At no time nor anywhere in the world has banning the open sale of liquor ever been even remotely successful.” It is a fact that the only thing prohibition achieves is the establishment of organised crime. The American experiment with prohibition should stand as a lesson to all of mankind. Prohibition created the environment for the the American Mafia to flourish. The ruthlessness of the Sicilians saw the Mafia grow from small, ragtag, disparate gangs; involved in neighbourhood extortion, prostitution and gambling, into a well oiled and organised machine, with tentacles across America and into all strata of American Society.
The same is taking place in Nagaland. A syndicate of bootleggers has taken over the business of supplying liquor to “Dry” Nagaland. An illegal industry, worth thousands of crores of rupees, has emerged to take care of the business of supplying, transporting and selling liquor in Nagaland. It is not the Excise Department alone that has been compromised; the police, from the office of the Commissioner/Superintendent to the local thanas to the patrolling parties, the District Administration, colony councils and gaonburas; all have either been bought or cowed into silence by the money and power of the bootleggers. And the icing on the cake are the various “Financial Freedom Fighters’ who, under the banner, “Nagaland for Christ”, demand an astronomical cash deposit and monthly/yearly payments from any and all who wish to sell liquor. And what about the shop licenses issued by the Municipal Councils, especially the Dimapur Municipal Council? What category do shops selling liquor and bottled water fall under? What category does a restaurant, openly selling liquor and blasting loud music until the wee hours of the morning, fall under?
As a recovering addict and alcoholic, I know first hand the result of prohibition. Prohibition does not stop a social drinker or an alcoholic from drinking; it only make the liquor more expensive and a little more difficult to procure. All the social evils associated with alcohol like death, illness, poverty, hunger, wife and child abuse, broken homes, rise in crime and violence etc. continue. The only difference is that death and illness come sooner, due to adulterated alcohol. Poverty and hunger come sooner and are more acute, due to high prices. Wives and children are beaten more frequently, due to heightened frustration. More homes are broken, more crimes are committed and more violence is generated due to prohibition.
To the Legislators, I ask, “What is your purpose?” Your purpose is to enact laws for the benefit of society. Prohibition leads to an increase in crime, it sees the rise of adulterated alcohol which kills people or damages their health; it has seen and sees countless thousands of crores of rupees draining away from Nagaland, for what purpose and to what end? Financially, prohibition benefits only criminals. The only section of people who seem to get a kick out of banning alcohol are the sanctimonious, nosey parker “Christians”, who have no clue about Christ or Christian Principles.
As Legislators, it your duty to work for the benefit of the people, not to deprive or destroy them, so, lift prohibition. Doing so will only offend the holier than thou Pharisees and Sadducees, not God or Christ. Imposing prohibition is not a blessing, nor is lifting it a curse. You will be judged by God and Christ, not by the Pharisees and Sadducees in our midst, and according to whether you benefited or harmed society.
To the DNSU, I ask, “Are you sure you have not bitten off more than you can chew?” The fact that I support the ultimatum you have served on the Excise Department does not stop me from stating that you have have raised the right issue but chosen only a small part of the target.
The enforcement of any law rests mainly with the Police Department. And when it comes to prohibition, the Excise Department alone, with its woefully inadequate manpower and antiquated weaponry, cannot enforce it. Involving the Police, Administration (both district and municipal) and Excise Departments, along with the active participation of all civil societies and citizens is the only way that retailing of liquor can be controlled, But even that will not be achievable unless those operating under the banner, “Nagaland for Christ” withdraw their patronage and forfeit their income from bootlegging.
No one will willingly give up thousands of crores of income without a fight. Bootlegging is befitting people from different sections of society. When Ms. Amen Jamir complained about the loud music, (not the free flow of liquor) produced by a co-tenant operating a restaurant named “Monkey B”, the building owner did nothing about it and the colony council was helpless. The Music task Force of the State Government even hired this bar for an official purpose and when Ms. Jamir and her son were collecting photographic evidence, some policemen even threatened them. After a social media campaign, the MTF was forced to change the venue of the programme, but Ms. Jamir was evicted by the owner, who happens to be the wife of a retired jurist, a politician and a high functionary of the Lok Ayukta, on the grounds that she brought disrepute to them! The only item missing from this potpourri were our “Freedom Fighters”. I’m certain they would have emerged in due time if Ms. Jamir had challenged her eviction.
This is just an example to show the depths to which prohibition has entered our society. What the DNSU must do is involve all governmental departments concerned, civil societies and the right thinking general public and close down all retail points of sale of liquor. But this cannot be sustained in the long run, therefore the State Government must lift prohibition so as to control and regulate the flow of alcohol. Until this happens, the DNSU and the people must be ready and willing to stop the sale of liquor by any and every means possible. For prohibition has not done a whit of good for Nagaland and only brought death, illness, misery and crime since its inception.
I know that many sections of society will object to my views, I am therefore prepared to debate this issue with any and all supporters of prohibition, send me an email and I will set up the date, time and venue.
God Save Nagaland from Hypocrisy.
