Rev. J Thungjamo Lotha
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e love Nagaland and its people, and therefore even in the case of liquor prohibition issue whoever raises his or her voice either for or against the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989 (NLTP Act) does it with love and concern. They are therefore to be appreciated. I write this with the sole purpose of bringing to our attention why and how the NLTP Act came to pass. Over the years there have been numerous debates on this issue which have been largely generated by modern problems and unfortunately such an approach at times does not do justice to Acts such as this which was adopted twenty five years ago. I believe some of the main arguments why it must be lifted are:
1. In spite of the Act liquor is sold
2. Liquor is more expensive and poor in quality
3. The Act is redundant as those who want to drink will continue do so
4. Lifting the act will make liquor easily accessible hence less expensive
5. We can never keep up with this Act in the present generation as it is ‘OK’ to drink.
The above highlighted arguments are certainly valid in nature. However, a major problem here is the failure in realizing that they are issues concentrated more on its acquirement which indirectly points towards an acceptance of a certain life-style rather than an attempt on understanding the actual situation that eventually led to the adoption of this very Act. As an older generation I can without any hesitation say that the situation then and now cannot be compared. Similarly the problems faced then and now are different in various aspects, hence cannot be compared. As such the arguments raised today do not necessarily justify an Act adopted decades ago. In simple words, Nagaland was in a very different state unlike today. Thus the need to a better insight into the Act.The NLTP Act is a result of tireless efforts of individuals, groups, organizations and churches who worked together with one goal to achieve- A better Nagaland. After elaborate and careful research conducted it showed that alcohol was one among the major causes responsible for a number of social problems and menace. The problems it generated was a vicious circle. For example, it affected the nucleus of healthy family life such as broken homes which in turn not only impacted children education but the children themselves. Twenty five years ago, if only we had a footage to show, for many of us, the future of our children was too bleak. The intention behind such an Act was thus purely generated out of love. There was a great need for Nagaland to take a stand. Even greater was to move towards achieving it in spite of numerous life threats we received during the initiation of this Act. No society can move forward without constant critical reflection on how it has progressed, but even so crucially important is that it is done contextually. What we consider today as the failures of NLTP is strongly guided by ‘how’ we analyse it. Just as the way in which we consider today as ‘valid reasons’ for reconsiderations of this act, there were also certainly important ‘valid reasons’ that propelled the government and the churches towards the adoption of this very Act. As we move forward let us keep in mind why and how the Act came to being.
As sensible individuals we all know the evil effects of alcoholism such as health problems & death, broken homes, children education affected by alcoholism, the most serious effect of alcoholism for the Christians is the spiritual side of it. There are 75 bible verses that condemn alcoholism (This can be mentioned in the next publication). According to the news article on “Prohibition Act” published in the local dailies, the problem is not with the “Act” but with the “implementation,” if my analysis is correct. As far as the enactment of the prohibition act is concerned, the Government has done great job based on the request of the churches and the NGOs. But now coming to the implementation of it, everyone, as Christians, have to play our own roles to effectively implement the “Act.” Why is the Government of Nagaland blamed, and why is the Church in Nagaland blamed for the failure of the NLTP Act? Abraham Lincoln, the former President of the United States of America has defined the Government as “of the people, for the people and by the people”. And so the Government means You and I. Further, as Christians living in a Christian land, are we living out our lives as we should? Majority of the bureaucrats in Nagaland are Christians, all the public leaders in Nagaland are Christians, most of the business people who are making money out of liquors are Christians, law makers, keepers and breakers are Christians, the one who is caught with bottles of liquor is a Christian. And therefore who is to be blamed? Whether we like it or not you and I are to be blamed for the failure of the “Act”. While talking about our failures, let us also look at some of the impact of NLTP Act with specific reference to the educational aspect.
In 1986 and 1987, as the youth secretary of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), seeing naga youths highly affected by alcohol a survey was carried out. Our visit to a number of high schools and colleges in almost all the districts in Nagaland proved that many of the students rarely completed their education due to alcohol. In fact every institute we visited there was either a case of drunkard fighting’s among students or with the administrators or the overwhelming sight of rows of empty bottles laying around the premises or the unpleasant experience of seeing young kids carrying bottles of liquor in their pockets and bags. Such was the state of our youths in the 80’s. The pass percentage of HSLC exam in 1986 was 31.32%, in 1987 only 19.48% and in 1988 it was 37.52%. If this had continued I doubt we won’t be where we are today. With high rate of dropouts comes lesser rate of individuals becoming an asset to the society. As ineffective as it may seem to many today, were it not for this life changing Act we would have very few naga leaders leading us today. In this context, for those of us who have witnessed and experienced the pathetic and seemingly hopeless state of our youths then it is nothing but a success. After the adoption of the Act we saw a steady increase in the pass percentage of our youths. To highlight a few, in 1989, the pass percentage of HSLC exam was 45.70%, in 1990 it was 43.53% and in 1991 it was 40.44%. This year the pass percentage is 65.19%.
Presenting the above does not in any way mean that the Act was the only factor, but one cannot overlook the role it has played in impacting the lives of many. Thus as we consider either in lifting the Act or not it is my sincere appeal to all to make carefully analyses as we did in the past before its adoption and accordingly move forward. To undertake an effective and reasonable decision demands a critical research. For instance, analyzing the no. of broken homes affected by alcoholism, no. deaths caused by alcoholism, no. of road accidents caused by alcoholism, no. of street fights caused by alcoholism before and after the Act etc. Even though the above will still continue irrespective of whether or not Nagaland is a dry state, it is best to conduct a comparative study to enter into any logical conclusion. Further it must also be contextualized to both the rural and urban scenario, as majority of the people of Nagaland are living in the villages, and therefore their voices should be heard.
After necessary survey and research if we know that lifting the Act will surely bear positive outcome then move forward. However on the other hand if we do not then let us not act at the cost of the younger generations to come. What we decided today will eventually show its result either negatively or positively only in the years to come and never immediately. Finally, for those who were alcoholics but are not anymore today and living responsible lives, know that my generation have witnessed the power of love!. For those of you who have not witnessed what we did two or three decades ago, it is my desire and hope that you or the future generation do not undergo what we experienced. As we strive towards a brighter future let our acts portray who we are as Christians living in a Christian land.
God bless Nagaland!
