• Declares NLTP Act a ‘Moral Commitment between Nagaland and God’
• Urges stricter enforcement, says Church should not be blamed
Morung Express News
Kohima/Dimapur | November 18
Amid growing calls to repeal the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has strongly defended the law, calling it a "moral commitment" between the people and God and urging stricter enforcement.
The council rejected arguments citing bootlegging and spurious liquor, declaring, "Evil is evil and there’s no better evil."
While acknowledging the issue is “super contentious,” it stressed that the NLTP Act is more than a statute, reflecting the Church’s view that “alcohol is a social evil destroying homes and families in Nagaland.”
Loopholes and misleading nomenclature
The NBCC said the NLTP Act has not been “fully implemented” in the State, leading to a black-market economy, corruption, and moral dissonance.
Key challenges include lack of political will, a weak Excise department with inadequate personnel and technology, and police failure to secure interstate borders, which has allowed liquor smuggling.
The council also pointed to loopholes in the Act, such as compounding offences, which undermine its effectiveness.
It noted that the term “total prohibition” is misleading, as the Act allows supervised relaxation, including Clauses 16 and 14, permitting liquor sales to foreign nationals and for medical purposes.
Lawmakers have already tested the Act twice: before the G-20 delegates in 2023 and during the Hornbill Festival in December 2024, when the State Government temporarily allowed the sale and consumption of IMFL in Kisama to accommodate tourists.
According to the NBCC, these instances show that the Act is not a complete prohibition but a regulated framework, and lapses stem from lack of willpower rather than flaws in the law itself.
“So now, whom do we blame? Will the public still blame the Church, or should they blame the government for casually repealing and enacting laws as it pleases?” the NBCC asked.
Between two evils, choose none
Meanwhile, the NBCC acknowledged that the influx of spurious liquor is a genuine concern but argued that liquor enters the State through those “who are not ordinary people!”
It said the issue of spurious and branded liquor reflects the problem of choosing a lesser evil. “If you’re to choose between two evils, choose none,” it added, questioning why the Government cannot tackle both evils simultaneously.
The council cautioned that lifting the Act would open the floodgates to liquor inflow. “
If there are already so many bootleggers despite the Prohibition Act, lifting it will not be a better alternative,” it maintained.
Reiterating its stance, the NBCC said, “Liquor is liquor and no kind of liquor promotes human health,” adding that containing social evils is the key, not allowing a “better evil” (genuine liquor) to flow.
It also termed drug addiction as “just a parallel evil,” dismissing the notion that it is an outcome of the NLTP Act, while insisting that both alcohol abuse and drug addiction must be contained.
The NBCC emphasised that one evil cannot replace another, and instead they complement each other. “Genuine liquor in exchange for spurious liquor? Evil is evil and there’s no better evil,” it asserted.
Promoting a moral order
From the Church’s perspective, the NLTP Act is more than just a law; it is a moral commitment between Nagaland’s people and God, the NBCC declared. The Act serves as a reminder that alcohol harms lives, families, and moral values, and its importance is not diminished by those who disobey it.
The council further noted that no law is perfectly obeyed, but that does not make it ineffective or justify repeal. Like other laws, the NLTP Act defines right from wrong and restrains evil, even if some disobey it.
Asking whether laws against theft or murder should be repealed because they are “broken,” it added, “Of course not—they remain to uphold moral standards. In essence, the NLTP Act upholds truth and righteousness, reflecting God’s standards. It’s not just about enforcing obedience, but about promoting a moral order.”
The NBCC also stated that the NLTP Act continues to play a significant role in highlighting the harms of alcohol, citing Galatians 3:24, where Apostle Paul wrote, “The law was our guardian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith.”
“Its presence guides society, even if imperfectly followed. Removing laws that people break would lead to moral chaos, not progress,” it added.
While agreeing that the NLTP Act needs a review, the NBCC said whether the law is repealed or retained does not affect the Church’s work, which will continue its ministry to alcoholics and wine sellers.
“We will continue to say what was bad 35 years ago is still bad for our society today,” the NBCC stated in a release issued by its General Secretary, Rev Dr Mar Pongener, and Secretary of Social Concern, Dr Villo Naleo.
The council also said it is willing to collaborate with the government and NGOs to strengthen implementation but will not support lifting the prohibition.
The Church will continue to act as a prophetic voice despite opposition, it added.
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