Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 06:
The United Naga Council (UNC) has stated that the Nagas would never accept the Meetei Mayek in lieu of the Roman scripts used by the Nagas at present.
The UNC in a message faxed to Newmai News Network stated that it has urged the organisations concerned to take utmost care while pressing their demand so that the atmosphere of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence is not disturbed.
The Naga body said that it had taken strong exception to the declaration made by a particular organisation to eliminate the MLAs and MPs in which among them are Naga MLAs and MPs.
It further said that though internal differences may exist any attempt to harm or eliminate the Naga MLAs and MPs would amount to inviting problems and warned that the Naga people would not remain silent if anything happens.
UNC said that it was of the opinion that all the organisations in the present conflict situation have a common goal and that to secure "our people, our land, resources and thus identity".
"We are therefore on the same side, we cannot be enemies.
We are brothers and sisters in a common cause.
And we shall attain that goal sooner than later by creating space for each other and by respecting each others' dreams and aspirations," the statement said.
Detailing on the Meetei Mayek issue, the UNC said that Roman, Pali and the Devangiri scripts are all alien scripts but they had opened the world and had taken "our people into the national and international fora" adding that from the beginning the Nagas had been adopting the Roman script to record and translate various works including the Holy Bible into the local dialects.
It further said that the origin, authenticity and application of the Meetei Mayek "is a matter that still is vehemently and violently disputed among different groups of Meetei people".
UNC opined that confusion affects the credibility and casts doubts on the genuineness of the script, lending it a more romantic whim than as cholastic exercise.