By Imkong Walling
Over the years, this column has seen quite a few commentaries on the contentious alcohol Prohibition law. Arguments have been recycled, and moral high grounds staked. Yet, the recent joint fellowship on February 1 between the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) and the Nagaland Legislators Christian Fellowship (NLCF) offered a glimpse into why the deadlock persists.
The NBCC, in its statement about the prayer fellowship-cum-impromptu meeting, was correct in attributing the failure of Prohibition to a “lackadaisical attitude” of the authorities— a perceived apathy ascribed to a lack of political will. What the statement failed to point out was the actual cause of the half-hearted enforcement. It is an open secret that the reason has been the crores of rupees involved in the illicit IMFL trade.
“Better implementation” is proclaimed to be the panacea. But look at the reality. Even if the workforce of the Excise & Prohibition Department is augmented, it is not going to work. It would be an exercise in futility. The demand would still be there, and there would be people more than happy to cater to that demand. As reiterated time and again, palms would get greased, ensuring unobstructed entry regardless of how many checkpoints are erected.
Increasing enforcement personnel would further exacerbate the financial strain on the state treasury. It implies creating more salaried posts in a government already over-burdened with excess employment. While the government is crying over salaries accounting for a major chunk of state spending, the prospect of creating more posts for a failed mission does not seem like a sound financial rationale.
It has been tried before. Some 10-15 years ago, the Excise & Prohibition Department came up with a plan to arm its personnel. The justification was that providing weapons would serve as a deterrent, while boosting morale. For a government notorious for sitting over files for years, that plan was sanctioned and executed relatively fast. Weapons were requisitioned, the personnel were trained in weapons handling, and armed Excise personnel in the field became the standard.
Only, the initiative hardly had any impact. IMFL continued flowing. It also turned out that the weapons were World War II-era bolt action rifles and Stens. It became a running joke, or rather, a convenient pretext. The joke was that the hand-me-downs would not stand a chance against illicit barons with political shields, wielding modern assault rifles.
The NBCC was correct in noting “a seeming disconnect between the Church and government on the NLTP Act,” and in maintaining that the government, as the sole authority, is responsible for fully implementing the Act.
However, the statement also noted that the government expects the Church’s collaboration. Such an expectation of a religious body by a secular government is inappropriate.
One other thing worth noting from the statement was the NBCC admitting it should not ransom the government for failing to implement the Act, and conversely, the government should not shift the blame to the Church. Per the statement, “They concluded with a call for the continuation of dialogue.”
On a practical note, the onus must be on the government. It should neither be expecting the Church nor the public to implement a lost crusade. And, neither camp should be expecting the other to immoralise and proscribe a primal habit by imposing an impractical law.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
