GUWAHATI: United Democratic Front candidate, Marki Mulieh has pledged to work for preservation and promotion of the identity and culture of the Jaintia community if he gets a second straight term as member of Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC).
Elections to the JHADC, along with Khasi Autonomous District Council, were held on Wednesday with Mulieh having a straight fight with Brightstar Chyrmang of National People’s Party in Jowai North constituency.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Thursday, Mullieh said he wished to focus mainly on three areas, comprising re-examination of the proposal to introduce the Pnar Alphabet, preservation and promotion of the historical sites of Jaintia Hills and construction of a cultural complex to exhibit and promote Jaintia culture.
“These areas have not been given due attention over the years which I plan to work on if I win this time,” he said.
The results of the ADC polls will be declared on Saturday.
Sources say that the commitment to introduce Pnar Alphabet has become an election agenda in the council polls this time in Jaintia Hills.
Apart from Khasi, the two other major tribes of Meghalaya are Pnar (Jaintia) and Garo. There are a number of sub-tribes in the state as well. They use the Khasi script even as they have different dialects.
A three-member Pnar Alphabet Committee (PAC) headed by former JHADC chief Thombor Shiwat was constituted by the executive committee of the council in 2016 in the wake of a demand by Jaintia Students’ Union.
The Khasi Jaintia National Union (KJNU) has been opposing the proposal to introduce Pnar alphabet with the argument that the Khasi language has not yet been included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution apart from the fact that there are different people who are staying in the Jaintia Hills region.