Menitso Chuzho Naga
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his NLTP Act of 1989 does not actually prohibit nor was able to prohibit liquor as everyone knows, but they bring about a state of hypocrisy. The question of lifting or not lifting the act never arises nor makes any reasonable sense, as liquor is available everywhere. The debate itself amounts to the inability of the act to control the flow/consumption of liquor, a complete failure of the act itself. Yet to not lift the act will merely only be a continuation of a hypocrisy that practically serves no logical purpose, rather a hypocritical massage of its own ego of all those against it, with vested interest of some few people bent on profiting on adulterated liquor at the cost of the health of its own people. How can we ignorantly still be discussing about the ill effects of lifting the act when liquor is so freely available?
As all know the main political objective of prohibition is power, and its purpose being the control of the individual. This Act is manipulated by opportunist (i.e in elections) for control to power, becoming one of the roots of systematic corruption of man’s moral values and degradation of its social system. (Quote by Max Stirner; What is freedom? To have the will to be responsible for one’s self). A privilege entitled to all man by birthright yet denied through few people’s misinterpretation of right. This act is an insult of liberty, justice, equality, dignity of the basic rights of all man. It is the unethical control of man and his free-will, and can never be deemed as morally right.As stated in the paper many times of alcohol being the root cause of all evil. If as reasonable people we are to find the universal root cause of most evil. To state it by nature it would be greed as intention, want as desire, need as cause with materials such as money as the means and power as the end. The eternal struggle where all men are immorally actually drunk in, the actual source of most social crimes, atrocities, violence and dis harmony. The biggest crime of this being poverty, the real cause of much human misery/suffering. Poverty stems from the unequal distribution of social and economic goods; it is the manipulation of the system by the privileged few at the cost of the majority. To simply state the ills of poverty of the human condition is a creation of man’s greed. (J.B. Osbourne quote on Alcohol; The abolition of poverty and better education for the masses, are the only remedies for the disease of alcoholism). Uncontrolled human greed is to state the mother/source of all ills/evils by nature. Why not there be a hypocritical act against human greed too!
To site an example even in a place like Israel, beer is available in grocery stores, clubs stay open without time limits. Beer festivals are held annually in Israel, of which one of the largest is in Jerusalem. Just wondering why are we Naga’s being so religiously radical with shallow principles. Even westerners who brought Christianity to us aren’t as radical as we are today. To quote from the Bible, the miracle of water to wine in the new testament; fact is the trans-mutation of water to wine by Jesus proves and also points to the people of that period as wine consumers. What one should be asking is; Is it a Christian principle to force? Is it right or is there some vested interest still in play?
All the hue/cry over Christian principles and righteousness till now, but if we are to pick any one of the laws of the ten commandments such as ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill,’ the irony of it all, under the same Christian principles we the Naga’s are killing each other. It is necessary to be courageous, honest, unafraid. We have had enough of base misrepresentation, rotten hypocrisy. What we really need now is honesty of purpose and courage of conviction.
Certainly no one would advocate the prohibition of water because people get drowned; nor the abolition of the vehicles and roads because people are killed and maimed by accidents. If the evils of drink exist, so do the evils of gluttony, and it will not be denied that more people die from causes arising from over eating than from drink, yet who would propose a law to close the butcher shops, and prohibit the consumption of salt, sugar, tea, coffee etc.. in the name and for the good of improving the physical well-being of the people.
How many idle unemployed youth in our society today? To help to relieve the suffering and misery of the unemployed should be more of a concern to the government then prohibiting the rights of its people. It is the inability to find work that will bring the many idle man and woman to their plight and distressing conditions to the drink habit. If men want liquor, they will invariably get it from anywhere. As all know the history of the human race is a constant struggle for liberty, the struggle for economic, social and political rights. The purpose of government should be to safeguard the rights of all man through reason.
When it comes to controlling or regulating the thought of the individual, power of the government is limited. A government has no moral right to say when, where, or what, citizens should eat, drink or wear. Wise governments would promote conditions under which the people would have plenty to eat, drink, wear and good houses to live in. What he should eat and drink as well as the amount and kind, or the color of the clothes he should wear, should be the function of the individual.
Prohibition is becoming one of the roots of systematic corruption. Prohibition in government will only creating more negative impacts, it will increase bribery; cause public officials to be more double-faced; will make more sneaks, liars and hypocrites out of men; opening the way for more illegal traffic/smuggling activities, and fostering an immoral negligence of law and order! And in addition to all this, it will not lessen drunkenness.
We should study the effectiveness of this act of prohibition on the moral health of the people of our society. With the inability to control the flow of liquor, with the availability of it everywhere. The public see law defied and mock at, they see the compromising of an impotent law/prohibition act with religious principles. With the indifference of the people the (unconcious/concious) law breakers; in turn gets the peoples moral values compromised and corrupted by its own systems futile hypocrisy. To simplify it with every consumption under prohibitive law we are creating a whole generation making a mockery of the prohibition, of law of the land too; becoming then the unconscious/concious law-breakers. In time the individuals; moral values gets corrupted and eroded. People consciously disregard law and order with every consumption (its values already compromised). The beginning of a systematic degradation of an individuals moral values/principle; the result of an already compromised law/(principle- religion).
Prohibition turns an individual to become confused, rebellious and defiant; for it conflicts with its will to choose what it deems as right and societies standards to enforce what it wants to control (the individuals will) as right. Prohibition is essentially a repressive measure and history proves that repressive measures always fail. (Quote by David Guerin; Far from checking the spread of immorality, repression has always extended and deepended it. Thus it is futile to oppose it by rigorous legislation which trespasses on individual liberty.) In aiming to do away with one evil we are setting up a greater one.
We are breeding a corrupt system, doing more harm as good to the moral health of the people plus physical well being of the consumers of adulterated liquor - the product of prohibition. By the theory of cause and effect the moral responsibility for the detioreating health caused by this illegal flow and slow poisoning by adulterated liquor should rest with all who support this failed prohibition act.
Alcohol, guns, swords, knives, sticks, vehicles, bricks and stones etc.. being inanimate objects, as things in itself has no value without man using to abuse or misuse it; hence cannot be termed as evil. To site an example if a man picks up a stone to kill a man; what would evil be then? The very intention of the man or the stone used; the thing. To sum it up in the final analysis one ought to realize that all evils are connected with life itself, for evil is not in things, but in men or women who abuse or misuse things. If we are to consider the viability of this prohibition by the theory of cause and effect, prohibiting strikes at effects not at causes, its as ridiculous as to put the cart before the horse. If men want liquor, they will invariably get it from anywhere. (Quote by Bishop Hall, Prohibition drives underground the mischief which it seeks to cure).
Rather then by emotional sentiment but by the sound judgment of our reasoning ability should we govern to guide our thoughts for actions in moral justice to accept responsibly; the development of this act till now as a complete failure as it is. To be rid of this prohibitive hypocritical menace which is out to corrupt the morals of our society. (Quote by John Quincy Adams; Seek not to enforce upon your brother by legislative enactment the virtue that he can possess only by the dictates of his own conscience and the energy of his will).
I am against this NLTP Act of 1989 and every right thinking citizen should oppose it. This NLTP Act of moral hypocrisy should be lifted. There are no pros and cons of prohibition but of creating moral ills in society as is prohibition, one of the roots of corruption in general. The effects of prohibition should be reasoned and prevailed as it is a failure, and this failed hypocritical NLTP Act of 1989 should be done away with, so real effective reform along moral, social and intellectual lines would begin.
