The government should stop treating the symptoms and instead spend taxpayer money on efforts to identify the root causes behind social ills that have taken over our society. A progressive and fast-modernizing India has not been able to keep pace with the rising aspirations of a billion people. However, the state of Gujarat has averted the worst and registered the lowest rate of violent crime among all the other Indian states. [1]
A number of people believe that the lifting of Prohibition would hurt the preservation of law and order, however their concerns are misplaced. Alcohol does not cause crime. Even a drunk driver who lost control of his car had an option not to set off in the first instance. Similarly, millions of people drink alcohol everyday without any compulsion to rob a bank or attack a neighbour. At the same time, acts of criminal violence are far more commonplace outside nightclubs than public libraries. So, alcohol may be a catalyst or lubricant for crime. But banning alcohol altogether creates more problems than it solves.
For one, prohibiting a market does not kill demand. It only shifts a dynamically developing market under the control of illegitimate organizations with no ethics or accountability. It also means diverting potential government revenue to criminal enterprises giving them opportunities and resources for exercising influence over the government and the society at large.
It is the policy of Prohibition that has spawned corruption, crime and made a mockery of law enforcement in the state of Gujarat. [2] As a law, prohibition only exists on paper and liquor flows freely through various routes across state borders with the help of corrupt officials perpetrating a fraud on the people of the state. This is all done under the aegis of political support.
Just as laws against corruption and crime do not ensure a corruption-free bureaucracy or a crime-free society, Prohibition cannot guarantee an alcohol-free Gujarat. Repeal Prohibition shares the concerns of Prohibitionists and we firmly believe that it is only through good public policy that the residents of Gujarat can tackle social ills while increasing the quality of life of the residents.
For that to happen, it is pertinent that the Government of Gujarat must radically alter and overhaul the current regulatory structure that governs business and the private life of individuals.
It is time to stop providing cosmetic solutions to problems and address real issues. It is time to stop treating the symptoms!
Notes:
[1] – [National Crime Records Bureau], [sorted]
