‘Not the answer,’ assert NBCC entities on possible revisit of Nagaland’s NLTP Act

Urge Government to heed public and spiritual voices

Kohima, August 25 (MExN): Days after the Nagaland State Government indicated a possible revisit of the contentious Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989, the NBCC and its Member Associations of Baptist Churches and leaders have come out blazing against such a move.

“Revisiting and re-enacting the Act at this time is not the answer,” asserted a joint statement issued by the Nagaland Baptist Church Association (NBCC) and other churches leaders on August 24.

Instead, the statement called for increased transparency and accountability in how the system operates and is governed.

According to the NBCC and church leaders, they have heard “sensible lectures and discussions” on why the NLTP Act should be abolished. However, they maintained that pragmatism is merely another form of relativism and implied that the primary reason for the abolition is not the “wellbeing of ordinary people” but how the “wealthy may profit,” which they termed as ‘bad.’

“The question is not what is the correct thing to do; rather, it is how much I will gain,” the statement asserted. 

The NBCC and church leaders argued that pragmatism and relativism entail foregoing ultimate principles in order to pursue and satisfy one’s goals. 

Such abandonment can result in anarchy, where each individual pursues a lifestyle centred on personal gain, they added, noting that this occurs “when we stop thinking about God and start doing things our own way.”

They further pointed out that though Nagaland is not a “theocratic” state, it is a Christian-majority state, and this should serve as a marker of differentiation from other states. 

Comparing ourselves to others can only lead to anger and disappointment, they opined, underscoring that “our ethical decisions must not be influenced by what others do, think, or gain. We must do things differently to respect God.”

“We all have defects and fail in our vocational and professional endeavours, but we should not constantly discuss others’ shortcomings and want to emulate them,” they added.

To this end, the NBCC and church leaders called for continually “seeking to impact the world by focusing on what pleases God rather than what pleases people.”

Both God and the pulse of the majority need to be heard. In this day and age, we can’t just “leave God” and judge ourselves by the actions of others, they added . 

As per the statement, a press release purportedly issued by a Government of Nagaland (GoN) minister’s also made a comparison that amounted to “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”

Accordingly, while the church leaders admitted that Nagaland is a “revenue-starved” State, they argued that the NLTP Act should not be used as a “scapegoat for that” and suggested considering other options. 

“It is a farce for us as a Christian-majority state that we would choose to hold the NLTP Act responsible for our failure to advance as a state,” they added.

They further posited that combining unhealthy doses of ambition while disregarding the greater importance of religious beliefs and cultural values creates a “hazardous cocktail that might result in a destructive hangover.” 

The majority’s welfare should always be prioritised in any decision-making process but the State Cabinet has completely dismissed the church’s appeal and leaders’ voices, they added, terming it as “underlying spiritual dangers that arise when God is removed from our concept of good and wrong.”

“In the name of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, we urge our honourable leaders to heed His still small voice at this critical moment,” the NBCC and church leaders urged.

The statement was appended by various functionaries of the NBCC led by General Secretary, Rev Dr Zelhou Keyho, and the Council’s 23 Member Associations and other entities within these associations. These member associations are ABCC, ABAM, CBCC, CBLT, CRBC, KBCA, KBBB, KBA, LBCA, LBA, NPBCA, PBCA, PBCC, SABAK, SBAK, USBLA, WSBAK, YBBA, ZBAN, ZBCC, NCF Delhi, AGBCN, and NBCA.

Meanwhile, the NBCC has written to all Baptist Churches in Nagaland to observe a day of collective prayer on 25 August over the issue.

CBCC:
In a separate statement, the Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC) reiterated that the NLTP Act itself cannot be effective unless it is conscientiously implemented, while faulting the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities on the failure of the Act.

Among other points, the CBCC highlighted that licences for pigeon-holed shops by the administration, while the transportation of spurious liquors into the market remains an open secret.

Authorities responsible for monitoring the flow of prohibited liquors into the State are passive and tight-lipped, it added. Accordingly, the Council stated that all stakeholders have failed collectively and must unite to reinforce the Act, as lifting it would be self-defeating.

It further asserted that Nagaland is a Christian-majority state, and the Church’s position on the NLTP Act is unequivocal. “This represents the voice of the overwhelming majority of citizens in the state. It would be ironic for a democratic government to ignore the voice of the vast majority and be swayed by a tiny section of society,” it added.

The CBCC also cautined that partially lifting the NLTP Act would be nearly impossible, especially given the state’s struggle to regulate less challenging issues such as ILP, power theft, and commodity prices. Declaring it bound to “fail miserably,” the CBCC urged the Nagaland State Government not to disregard the voice of the Church.