Rev Temsü Jamir, Executive Secretary of ABAM, has issued a statement calling for “responsible governance” and criticising what he described as alcohol mismanagement at the Hornbill Festival. In the statement, he asserted that “the continued non-implementation of the NLTP Act is not a flaw of the Act, but a glaring failure of the government entrusted to uphold it.”
According to him, the NLTP Act, which he said was “generated out of the moral conviction and collective will of the people,” has been “reduced to a mere document, not because it lacks power, but because those responsible for enforcing it lack sincerity, consistency, and courage.”
Citing the Hornbill Festival, Rev. Jamir said “nothing exposes this inconsistency more starkly than the recent mismanagement” at the event. He pointed out that despite the NLTP Act remaining the law, “the government has permitted the sale and consumption of liquor for foreign nationals within the festival premises.” He added that “even more concerning is the unregulated sale and consumption of local rice beer, readily available not only to tourists, but to anyone who chooses to partake in it.”
Calling the situation “a direct and unabashed contradiction of the very law the government is duty-bound to uphold,” he stated that the actions “reveal an attitude that is not merely casual, but deliberately negligent.” He further said they “reflect a government willing to compromise the values and convictions of the majority, for reasons of convenience, revenue, or external image.”
Rev. Jamir raised several questions in the statement, including: “Who safeguards the law, and for whom? Who determines the structure and policies of governance? And does such governance supersede ethical justice?” He cautioned that “when a law is enforced selectively, its integrity is inevitably eroded,” and added that when moral principles are applied selectively, “a government’s credibility is fundamentally diminished.”
“If the government is unwilling to honor the Act, it must at least have the courage to state so openly,” he said, adding that “the people deserve transparency, not pretence. They deserve leadership, not loopholes. They deserve a government that upholds the very laws it expects its citizens to follow.”
He questioned whether the Hornbill Festival must depend on alcohol-related attractions, asking: “Can’t we envision the Hornbill Festival without, in any way, promoting a culture of alcohol consumption in Nagaland? Must the celebration of this festival be contingent upon the endorsement or facilitation of drinking? Is alcohol truly the only means through which the Hornbill Festival can be presented or enriched?”
Stating that “the issue before us is not merely about alcohol,” Rev. Jamir concluded that it concerns “accountability, integrity, and respect for the mandate of the people,” adding that “the NLTP Act does not require revision. What is required is governmental resolve.”