Challenges before society

Two issues which the church in Nagaland has focussed among others are – enforcing prohibition (dry law) and achieving clean election. It needs no explanation on whether these two objectives have been achieved. The first Nagaland Total Liquor Prohibition Act 1989 is now around 34 years and the Clean Election campaign launched in 2012 is now around 11 years. Much has been written, commented and debated on these two issues since the time they took effect. The NLTP Act 1989 has been a total failure in terms of its sole objective-driving alcohol to extinction. The facts are that, prohibition has not decreased offences nor crimes though it has decreased the source of tax revenue but increased government spending on enforcement and proliferation of smuggling rackets besides alcohol related ailments mainly due to sale and consumption of adulterated and spurious alcohol. One of the main reasons that led to imposition of prohibition was because it was blamed for marital discord, ruination of families, nuisances, accidents and various crimes associated with drunkenness. Even if prohibition is lifted, these offences and crimes will not disappear. Rather, prohibition has only created a huge black market in smuggling of liquor which in itself, confirms that consumption of alcohol has not stopped. The black market in alcohol smuggling is speculated to be approximately worth nearly a thousand rupees annually but not a rupee goes to the state exchequer. Liquor shops and distilleries in Khatkhati and Bokajan have mushroomed primarily to supply the contraband to parched throats in Nagaland and Manipur where the dry law is in force. Assam earned Rs.2,526 crore during 2022-23 from excise revenue and it is projected to touch Rs,3000 crore by end of 2023. A sizeable portion of the excise revenue also comes from sale to dry states like Nagaland and Manipur. On clean election, the efforts of the church including voluntary organisations has barely scratched the surface as the cycle of note-for-vote and vote-for-note remained undisturbed. The fact is that without money- anywhere from Rs.10 crore to Rs.50 crore- per constituency, no sane person can expect to seriously hope of winning. Elections in Nagaland are not only a farce and a mockery on democracy but are the main contributors for everything that’s gone wrong. The consequences of such dubious elections are reflected at all levels of society where rampant corruption, injustice, violence and threats which are languages being spoken and heard of. Clean Election is a reality in Mizoram as is known in the region. This stems from the fact that the church in Mizoram (particularly the Presbyterian church) exerts a firm grip over morality and ethics and shown little tolerance to allow the “world to come inside the church.” The Mizo church plays an active part in garnering support and promoting clean election in the state. It does so through collaboration with NGOs who take act like the local enforcers. In Nagaland, the church has been exerting more pressure on the government on prohibition. The dry law has only driven sale to the black market through dens licensed by parallel authorities. On clean election, the church has been somewhat active but it has made no dent. There are also other serious issues that confront society and the church needs to first focus within.