Responding to the Nagaland Cabinet’s proposed discussion on partial lifting of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has said that the Act should not be used as a scapegoat for the “revenue-starved” state. “It is a farce to all of us as a Christian majority state that we would choose to hold the NLTP Act responsible for our failure to advance as a state,” the Council stated and stressed that the Government can consider other options to boost the revenue of the state.
The NBCC stated that that revisiting and re-enacting the Act is not the answer and such a move “without seriously examining what is at stake may land us in much deeper problems”. Instead, the Council has emphasised on increasing “transparency and accountability in how we operate and govern the system.”
The NBCC regretted that the “cabinet has completely dismissed the church’s appeal and leaders’ voices” and stated, “This reveals the underlying spiritual dangers that arise when God is removed from our concept of good and wrong.”
The Council alleged that the primary motive behind the intension to lift NLTP Act “is not about the wellbeing of ordinary people; it is about how the wealthy may profit, which is bad.” It said, “Such abandoning can result in anarchy, in which each individual pursues a lifestyle centred on personal gain. This occurs when we stop thinking about God and start doing things our own way.”
The NBCC also maintained as a Christian-majority state, “We must do things differently to respect God” and that “Our ethical decisions must not be influenced by what others do, think, or gain.” It advised the State Government that one’s ambition, greed, and conceit should not interfere with the desire to honour God and to focus on what pleases God rather than what pleases people.
Referring to the Minister KG Kenye’s remarks on the church failing to educate the people from indulging in liquor, the NBCC said that with many things at stake, there may be temptation to blame others, however, “when we combine unhealthy dosages of ambition while disregarding the greater importance of our religious beliefs and cultural values, we create a hazardous cocktail that might result in a destructive hangover.” The Council also said that in such circumstances, “we must be willing to seek and obey God’s values at all levels, rather than just concluding that society has changed, regardless of the practical repercussions.”
The NBCC emphasised the need to examine the reasons behind the NLTP’s failure more closely and urged the honourable leaders to heed to His still tiny voice at this critical moment.
Read more: NBCC calls for Prayer as Nagaland Govt considers partial lifting of NLTP Act
Nagaland Cabinet hints at partial lifting of NLTP Act
