Dimapur, September 1 (MExN): The Nagaland Baptist Pastors Union (NBPU) today declared its strong opposition to any revisit of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, and instead advocated for the Church, Civil Society, and Government to work in coordination to uphold Nagaland as a ‘Dry State.’
In fact, the actual onus of keeping the Act alive lies with the government. While the Church, NGOs, and Civil Society can act as pressure groups, there is a series of unattended possible interventions that they should address.
In a press release, the Union noted that the Act was sealed after a prolonged series of rallies and demands carried out by the Church and civil society organizations, and people from all walks of life “made a covenant with God in declaring Nagaland as a ‘Dry State.’”
Though the NLTP Act has failed on the ground in many respects, it does not mean that the public should blame any specific stakeholder in relation to the Act, it contended.
It implied that both the government, as well as the Church and CSOs, are at fault for the implementation failure. However, it should never be “Church versus Government but Government and Church/Civil Society versus Liquor,” the NBPU stressed.
The Union also claimed that if the NLTP Act is lifted, even partially, Nagaland will be “open to a flood of unmanageable social ills” with the “liquor nuisance” manifesting in every corner.
“Even if thousands of crores in revenue are generated from the sale of liquor in the state (after lifting the NLTP Act), it will not be able to compensate for the ill effects of liquor,” it asserted.
Accordingly, it called for a joint effort by the Church, civil society, and government to uphold Nagaland’s status as a ‘Dry State,’ with the Church, NGOs, and Civil Society acting as pressure groups.
“There is a series of unattended possible interventions that they should address,” the NBPU stated.
A coordinated effort of Government, Church, and Civil Society Organizations will go a long way in keeping Nagaland safe from liquor, it added.
Nagaland Congress for consultations and consensus building
Kohima, September 1 (MExN): The Nagaland Congress today said that the present State Government's decision to revisit The Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, and the ensuing debate has apparently “divided Naga society right down the middle.”
Accordingly, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) said it is against the government's intention of reviewing the Act and urged it to reconsider its decision.
At the very least, it should hold extensive consultations and consensus-building exercises with all stakeholders before arriving at a decision, it added.
Concurrently, the NPCC also appealed to the people of Nagaland to consider contemporary realities and approach the issue with an objective and conciliatory spirit.
In a press statement, the NPCC pointed out that the NLTP Act was enacted in 1989 and enforced in 1990 during the tenure of the then Congress government in the state, in accordance with the strong and unanimous public sentiment that prevailed at the time.
The NPCC has steadfastly upheld and stood by that decision to date, it added.
