To prohibit or not to prohibit ...

excerpts from an Article by Ali Mehdi - member of the governance team, Centre for Civil Society. 

That is the question of responsible governance that policy makers should not shirk.

Widening the debate, and with far reaching consequences, let us ask if the government, especially in a pluralistic society like India, should be involved with moralistic issues of either individual or scial import. Claiming that alcohol consumption "weakens the entire social structure" and distorts the priorities if development process" is too far frtched to be dicussed seriously.

The moral argument touches upon individual and community rights, and the freedom thaty is or should be avialble to them. Personally , I do not drink; but, at the same time, as an advocate of individual choice, I am in favor of the individual decide for him/herself, without making value judgementsor taking subjective decisions, to the extent taht his/her actions do not hurt others or the system.

Making drunk driving illegal is fine, but the invasion of moral spaces in a secular state like India is rather too 'disenchanting', so to say the least.  

Hope the puritans and pseudo-secularists, who have made it their agenda to design and decide what is morally right for them to be imposed on one and all, also accept that individuals in a free and democratic state have the liberty to decide their own good.

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Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. - Winston Churchill