The Pandora’s box of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act 1989 is open for debate and many people from all walks of life have voiced their concern, some for and the others against the Act with their own reasoning in their own wisdom from different perspectives. Some are going to the extent of blaming the Nagaland State Government of the day for opening the box but a sensible and concern citizen of the State should instead congratulate the Government for opening the lid and giving the opportunity to the people to revisit the Act which is already over twenty years old.
The Act may have its own merits and demerits and retrospection and introspection of the Act from all angles is long overdue. I for one extend my big thanks to the Government of Nagaland for giving the opportunity to her people to look at what is inside the Pandora’s box and what is the outcome of what come out from the Pandora’s box. Indeed much was said about the Act. However, let us briefly discuss what had happened as and when the Act came into effect. The day the Act come into force, liquor went underground. The State fondly called by her people, a Christian State with slogans “Nagaland for Christ” become liquor dry overground but saturated underground all on a sudden.
Liquor supported by those people trying to make easy and fast money got re-enforced in a big way and moves to all the nods and corners of the State with a big tag “Dry State and Prohibition”. The recruitment in the army of liquor become so lucrative and strong that liquor in all forms in all brands are now being posted in all the highways and bye-ways, guarding even pan shops and tempting and affecting both young and old, rich and poor irrespective of sexes, church denominations and tribes. The liquor underground movement become so strong and so smart that at times people think that even the low enforcing personals got blinded even if the army of liquor move in truckloads to different destinations.
The State Government frankly and openly admitted that the NLTP Act 1989 cannot be successfully enforced and implemented with the limited force. I may be corrected if I am wrong but it appears even the State Government must be having in mind to sign a cease-fire agreement with the liquor underground movement. With due, apology to the womenfolk, it appears they themselves have almost given up. The fact is that, in the early nineties if one travels from Kohima to Kiphire via Pfütsero and Meluri or Kohima to Tuensang via Wokha and Mokokchung one is sure to meet at least one or two groups lead by women checking travelers for liquor whether in buses or small private or government vehicles.
However, fortunately or unfortunately these days such groups are hardly found even if one travels throughout the State. Even then the civil societies such as the women associations have done their best. The Nagas need to congratulate and thank them for the sincere efforts. But then, for how long such associations can remain vigil to tackle such big issue like the liquor underground movement. Such is just one outcome and the impact of the Act and whether that is positive or negative is left to the people to judge.
Having said so, one may congratulate the State Government for enacting and trying its best to enforce and implement an act which was tried in many parts of the world by many countries but never successful. The Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act 1989 which was enacted as a result of the culmination of the movement for a liquor dry state spearheaded by the Naga Mothers Association and various Churches is well intended and worth recording with golden letters in the history of the State.
Being a Christian State, by then, the mood of the general public might be that what other nation find impossible should be possible for the Nagas with God on their side. However, when retrospection and introspection is done, a billion dollar question is whether liquor total prohibition in the State of Nagaland is actually possible and practicable or not ? If it is practicable, why are the Nagas failing ? If it is not practicable, why the Act still remains in force?
At this juncture, whether the Nagas like or not one has to admit that the war against liquor is not likely to be successful. The Nagas need not blame each other for that. If you point one accusing finger to someone, the other fingers are directly pointing at yourself. All the Nagas fail in their part to keep the evil away. The liquor underground movement has taken full advantage of the weaknesses of the Nagas to such an extent that it is humanly impossible to chase away or expatriate the evil from the State.
The ground for liquor underground movement is so fertile, so lucrative and the modus operandi so complicated and complex and the boarders around the State are so porous for liquor that even if all the Nagas leave aside all their works and started guarding the boarders it may not be possible to stop the convoy of liquors that comes in truckloads from entering the Dry Christian State. It may be possible for God but the Nagas as a human race should know the limitations and the weaknesses of themselves in particular and the homo sapiens in general and stop forcing the State Government to do something which is humanly impossible. The Christian State, the Christians and the Churches has to accept the fact with humility. All the Nagas have failed in the war against the liquor underground movement - the churches have failed, the church leaders have failed and the christian as a whole have failed miserably. How many Nagas as christians has played their part bravely in the war against liquor?
The Nagas say that their State is a dry state with total liquor prohibition in force. If it is so, then elicit liquor seller and any person found drunk need to be put behind bars, to be disciplined but as a concern citizen of a dry state all need to ask themselves how many elicit liquor seller and how many drunkards you know or you came across are being arrested by the law enforcing agency through your report or your assistance. With due apology to the Reverences Pastors and Church Leaders one may ask them whether they report to the law enforcing agency to enable the law to take its own course of action as and when their children are caught with bottles of liquor or come home drunk, as some Church Leaders do have the problem in their own home. If not, the Nagas need not blame their Government but themselves for the failure. Blaming others for our failures is nothing but just hypocrisy. The need of the hour is to be realistic and practicable.
If the present condition of liquor dry overground with over saturated underground continues in the midst of total liquor prohibition, liquor in most probability is likely to get more angry and attack more people especially the upcoming younger generation. This is so because liquor has gone underground and no one knows where is the evil although it is everywhere. No warning can be given as to where the evil is unless and until the evil attacks. Liquor is likely to drink or rather consume more Nagas in near future.
Please pardon me for not talking in a christian way but good quality liquors do have some medicinal values and some take it as energizer. As long as one drink liquor it does not harm the body and mind but by the time one allows liquor to drink himself or herself then only liquor damage the body, the mind and the soul of oneself with potential to ruin the family and shaking the very social fabric of peace and tranquility. Nagas have ignored the good side of liquor and declare it as poison, evil and so on and so forth taking into account only the bad side of it making it the enemy number one forcing it to go underground through prohibition. The enemy has become much wiser in twenty years and more and more young people are likely to be recruited to its force because the agents are everywhere, their services available at any time and in any place under any circumstances.
Under the banner of prohibition tag, youngsters have no time and no courage to learn how to drink the right way. In such circumstances, liquor will start drinking more and more Nagas especially the young ones from the very beginning. That is for sure, such instances are many. Many families impose total liquor prohibition in their homes but human curiosity is such that whenever the children get the chance they come back home fully saturated with liquor from head to toes. This may be taken as an indication that those children do not know how to drink the drinks. Thus, instead of drinking liquor they unknowingly allowing liquor to drink them.
If the prohibition continues further, more of such innocent youth may be drunk by liquor with liquor related problems getting magnified. In such a situation what will be the fate of the Naga Society. That concern is of paramount importance which cannot be taken likely, if the society is to progress and to live in peace and harmony.
Another issue of equal importance is that many of those persons who have no concern for the welfare of the society and her people are making big business in liquor taking the best advantage of the NTLP Act 1989. For them, the Act is actually a blessing in disguise. They take the Act as money making Act.
The Act is creating lakhpatis here and there and there is every possibility that one day those lakhpatis may even control the whole society and one need not go far to imagine the condition of a society controlled by such unscrupulous individuals who amass wealth by hook or by crook fully ignoring the provisions of such a noble Act which was well intended but failing to deliver the goods.
Considering the magnitude of the problem and the human psyche, a human alternative arrangement and a human solution needs to be made. The most viable and pragmatic approach may be, therefore, to put liquor under house arrest or keep it in some designated camps so that people can know where the evil lies. In such an arrangement, those people who wanted to avoid liquor completely may not go near such designated camps and there is less chance of innocent people falling into the trap of liquor unaware.
At the same time it will be easier to identify those who are under the control of liquor or in friendship with them as they will frequently go to such designated camp. Even those trying to make friendship with liquor can easily be identified in the initial stage and empowered to ditch liquor before getting into its clutches. Government will also be relieved from enforcing something which was never successful on earth. The churches and the civil societies, instead of wasting time in checking bottles of liquor and passing the buck to the Government will also get enough time to create more awareness, motivate and convince more people in a Godly way to give up liquor ones and for all. With that the war against one of the worse enemies of the Nagas can be won victoriously and the enemy can be kept under control forever.
At the end of the day, those people or groups who are opposing total or partial lifting of liquor prohibition may like to think hundred times whether they are really doing something good for the Naga Society by forcing the Government of the day to retain and enforce something which is never successful in any part of the world. May God give the Nagas the wisdom to discern the clearly define roles and responsibilities of the State Government and the Churches.
Dr. Kiyasetuo Vizo,
Lower L. Khel, Kohima Village.
