Kohima, June 13 (MExN): The Naga Club (NC) today expressed its appreciation to the “truthful and firm stand” of the Kohima Village Council (KVC) and its endeavour to protect and preserve the unchallengeable and bare facts of history of the Naga People.
The leadership of Kohima Village has displayed exemplary integrity and patriotism at a time that demands truthfulness and the courage to act to prevent the mischievous hand of manipulation and distortion of the facts of the Naga history, informed a statement by President Kuolachalie Seyie and General Secretary KN Mhonthung Lotha, purportedly written as a letter to KVC.
If further gave a detailed accounts of history as well as issue pertaining to the NC building.
Among other, it noted that NC was formed by some educated and erudite government servants serving in the Deputy Commissioner office, Kohima on January 7, 1918 under the chairmanship of Rheichalie Pienyü, peshkar.
“Attempts have been made by elements with vested interest to distort the facts of history by the claim that the NC was formed by the “Naga Labour Corps”. History testifies to the fact that the Naga Labour Corps returned only in June 1918 and the NC had already existed by then,” it added.
While the Naga Labour Corps could also have contributed its experience towards the Memorandum to the Simon Commission, since some of them serving as Dobashis in the DC’s Court were also found to be signatories, however it would be a distortion of history by anyone to state that the NC was formed or a brainchild of Naga Labour Corps, it maintained.
The NC further maintained that the NC has no intent to glorify one or vilify the other, but is deeply concerned that the facts of history must be rightfully narrated for posterity.
It also informed that the NC was allegedly “not allowed to erect its 100 years Centenary Monolith at its rightful place beside the NC Building” and this has been rightly noted in a KVC’s letter (undated) stating that the Council “put on record that the Centenary Jubilee Celebration Monolith of the Naga Club should be erected at the proper site that is the Naga Club building at Khuochiezie. The Council further wishes to clarify that the entire area of the Naga Club building belongs to the Kewhimia ancestral land and therefore the buildings around Naga Club on a temporary permit should not be made permanent as it is under the jurisdiction of the Naga Club only…”
Accordingly, the NC appreciated the knowledge and comprehension of the facts of history of the NC and its continuation of office.
This, according the NC’s statement, made the KVC to note that “the present office bearers/officials of Naga Club cannot be considered unmandated.”
In such a time of rampant manipulation of facts and attempts to silence the truth, the truthful voice of the KVC and the stand it has taken for the legacy of the Naga people from being distorted, the Naga people through the NC shall remain always indebted to the leadership of Kohima Village, it added.
