Dimapur, October 3 (MExN): The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) on Saturday said any review of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, should not automatically lead to its repeal, and urged the government to address enforcement failures through stronger implementation, transparency and accountability.
NBCC General Secretary Rev Dr Mar Pongener and Secretary (Social Concerns) Dr Villo Naleo in a joint statement said the existence of an illegal liquor market does not prove that the underlying principle of the law is wrong.
“For the Church, the question of prohibition cannot be reduced to a question of government revenue or commercial opportunity. It concerns human dignity, family welfare, public health, social responsibility and the protection of the vulnerable,” it said.
The council acknowledged that the illicit liquor trade, continuing seizures and concerns over spurious alcohol pose a serious challenge, and that the government itself has admitted the Act faces significant enforcement difficulties and unintended consequences.
“The appropriate response to corruption is not to legalize corruption. The appropriate response to criminal networks is not to surrender public policy to criminal networks,” the council said, adding that enforcement should be improved and, where necessary, enforcement mechanisms reformed.
At the same time, the NBCC cautioned that allegations of organised syndicates, corruption or illicit financial arrangements must be investigated and backed by credible evidence, and that public discourse should not turn into a vehicle for unsubstantiated accusations against individuals or institutions.
The church body noted that the Excise Department has said its principal role has shifted from revenue collection and regulation to enforcement of the NLTP Act. It said enforcement cannot be left to one department alone and requires cooperation from the government and law-enforcement agencies, religious institutions, village and community organisations, women, youth and students, families, medical and mental-health professionals, civil society and citizens.
Referring to recent deaths in Tuensang and Mokokchung districts, the NBCC said the Excise and Police departments had been spurred into action to curb illegal liquor sales. It also cited the recent destruction of seized liquor in Zunheboto, which was accompanied by an official call for a collective approach involving civil society, community leaders and the public. “This is the kind of shared responsibility that the present situation demands,” it said.
The NBCC said it does not claim the Act is perfect or that its implementation has been fully successful, and that laws must be examined in light of their social consequences. “But review should not automatically mean repeal,” it said, calling for strengthening protective provisions, correcting ineffective ones, closing loopholes, addressing corruption, improving enforcement and expanding rehabilitation.
The council stressed that its concern is not to stigmatise those struggling with alcohol dependence. It said the Church has responded through awareness, counselling, rehabilitation, prayer, pastoral care and community intervention, and remains committed to the values of “temperance, self-control, responsibility and care for one’s neighbour.”
“The Christian understanding of freedom cannot be reduced to the freedom to consume whatever one chooses,” it said, adding that Christian freedom also means freedom from bondage, addiction and exploitation.
“The Church cannot abandon its moral responsibility merely because the implementation of a law is difficult,” NBCC said, calling for “truthful assessment, responsible enforcement, institutional integrity, compassionate rehabilitation and evidence-based public policy.”
