'The giant tree' in Ke Me village

This is demonstrated through stories about the exemplary spirit and practical work of the veteran "old age, high ambition" in Ke Me village.

Understanding "Party's will - People's heart"

We went to Ke Me when the raw material road to the Cha Loong production area was being urgently accelerated. According to the head of Ke Me village: The land clearance for this road was greatly contributed by the skillful mass mobilization work of veteran Luong Van Mai.

During the construction of the road, which is more than 2 km long and 5 m wide, 10 households voluntarily donated land and 4 households donated 400-500 finished acacia trees to pave the way for raw materials. The first phase has completed about 1.3 km.

Veteran Luong Van Mai (far left) along with leaders of the commune Fatherland Front and village cadres inspect the construction of the raw material road to the Cha Loong production area. Photo: KL

However, nearly 3 years have passed, the route is still blocked (about 700m) because a household refuses to hand over the land. Although the commune and village authorities have repeatedly established delegations to propagate and persuade, the householder still resolutely refuses to agree. Thanks to the perseverance and prestigious voice of Mr. Luong Van Mai, this household has now agreed to hand over the land.

"When Mr. Mai informed us that the people had agreed, we were very excited. Even though that day was a weekend, the Village Management Board quickly informed the commune government to mobilize excavators to do the work immediately. The Chairman of the Commune People's Committee personally went to the scene with village officials to direct the implementation," said Ke Me Village Chief Le Viet Dung, born in 1991, happily.

Veteran Luong Van Mai - a prestigious person in Ke Me village, Mau Duc commune, is happy because the road to the production area is about to be completed. Photo: KL

It is known that in the past, the raw material route to the Cha Loong production area was bumpy and muddy, making it difficult to travel, affecting the production and consumption of acacia for people in Ke Me, Ke Sung, and Ke Trang villages. Families with fields and farms in the interior had to transport the harvest by ox-tired carts along the Cha Loong stream, which was very difficult, especially during the rainy season. Now that the road is about to be completed, everyone is excited because the wishes of the people over the years are gradually being realized.

Joining us on a tour of the road being leveled and widened, the respected man of Ke Me village, Luong Van Mai, is 73 years old but has a quick, active, and sincere manner, saying, “Uncle Ho taught us that ‘even if it is a million times more difficult, the people will be able to do it! There are things that require perseverance, using sincerity to analyze with reason and emotion, and eventually the people will understand and agree.”

Veteran Luong Van Mai (second from left) talks with commune and village officials about his experience in "skillful mass mobilization". Photo: KL

Ke Me is a particularly difficult Thai ethnic village, located at the end of Mau Duc commune, with 218 households and 950 people, of which 102 are poor. The people mainly produce agriculture and forestry, with the main crops being acacia and cassava. Life is still difficult, so the implementation of local emulation movements is not always smooth. Therefore, prestigious people like veteran Luong Van Mai play the role of an important connecting thread "the Party's will and the people's heart" to create consensus and cohesion in the community.

For example, during the implementation of the asphalt road connecting Mau Duc - Thach Ngan communes, with his prestige, he actively accompanied the Party Committee, government and organizations in the village, mobilizing people to donate land and trees to clear the land. He himself voluntarily donated 200 m²production land to set an example. Thanks to that, people agree to support and follow.

Currently, Ke Me village has cleared 1,000m of model rural road, waiting for cement to arrive for implementation. Of which, 30 households along both sides of the roads have been successfully mobilized to donate land and trees to widen the road.

Veteran Luong Van Mai (middle) is trusted and respected by the people because he always "practices what he preaches". Photo: KL

“Many times when village cadres speak, the people do not understand, but when prestigious people like Mr. Mai speak, the people listen and believe. At a young age, I was given the responsibility of leading the village, so I could not avoid the pressure. Fortunately, prestigious people like Mr. Mai helped me and shared their experiences, so I was able to promptly resolve problems that arose in the village.

On this occasion, the village is renovating and upgrading the community cultural house worth 359 million VND. With Mr. Mai in the Community Supervision Board and the Village Management Board, people are more secure" - Ke Me Village Chief Le Viet Dung said.

“Talk and do”

In a funny story over a pot of green tea in a small, simple but cozy house, veteran Luong Van Mai briefly shared: To be a prestigious person, "words must go hand in hand with actions!" And during the decades of "carrying the prison", he has always been a "bright torch" for the villagers to follow. As a soldier of Uncle Ho who participated in the battle in battlefield B, in 1982, veteran Luong Van Mai was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown. Just 1 month later, he was assigned to be the Secretary of the Mau Duc Commune Youth Union, then returned to work as the Secretary of the Ke Me Party Cell for more than ten years, and has been a prestigious person in the village until now.

Veteran Luong Van Mai and his wife - prestigious people of Ke Me village. Photo: KL

Being attached to and understanding the lives as well as the thoughts and aspirations of the people, with his experience, veteran Luong Van Mai not only propagates and mobilizes people to preserve cultural identity, eliminate backward customs, build a civilized lifestyle, but also helps the Party Cell and the Village Management Board to effectively carry out mediation work, maintaining community solidarity. Whenever there are incidents in the village that require mediation teams and prestigious people to get involved, he is always enthusiastic and does not hesitate.

He also has a lot of experience in resolving conflicts in a gentle, reasonable and emotional way. For example, a household in the village accidentally caused a fire to spread to the acacia plantation of the neighboring household while harvesting acacia trees and preparing the land for a new crop. The affected household demanded compensation, but the two parties could not agree on a solution, so they appealed to the village management board.

Faced with that reality, the Party cell secretary, the village chief and Mr. Luong Van Mai went to the scene to examine it. Mr. Mai also had the initiative to split bamboo strips and tie them to each acacia tree that was on fire to count the number of trees to avoid confusion, assess the extent of damage, then invite 2 households to come to reconcile, and propose a support plan based on neighborly love. "This incident is also brought up as a lesson for the people in the village because if the fire catches, it will easily cause a large-scale forest fire" - Party cell secretary Lu Van Bon expressed.

Concerned by the difficult life of Ke Me people and the high poverty rate, veteran Luong Van Mai always stands side by side with the Party cell and the Village Management Board to persistently encourage people to overcome the mindset of waiting and relying on others, to change their thinking and working habits to gradually rise up to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. Although he is old, he still grows 4 hectares of acacia mixed with cassava, raises buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese to increase his income.

As a prestigious person in the village, veteran Luong Van Mai is always worried because the lives of Ke Me people still face many difficulties. Photo: KL

Sharing his experience in "skillful mass mobilization", Mr. Mai expressed: To convince people, one must promptly grasp the Party's policies and the State's laws, set an example in complying with all village and local regulations, and pay attention to supporting the disadvantaged and those in especially difficult circumstances.

"Mr. Mai is not just talking, for many years his family has been taking care of Mrs. Lo Thi Linh, an elderly and homeless person in the village", Chairman of the Fatherland Front of Mau Duc commune, Ha Thi Linh, continued.

It is known that Ms. Lo Thi Linh is 96 years old this year, has no children, her husband passed away 8 years ago, and lives on a small monthly social allowance.

For many years, veteran Luong Van Mai has been taking care of Lo Thi Linh, a lonely elderly woman in Ke Me village. Photo: KL

Faced with the old man's difficult circumstances, Mr. Luong Van Mai and his family took care of Mr. Linh like their own mother. From providing food and clothing to visiting him when the weather changed. On every holiday, his family supported him with rice, vegetables, firewood, pork, and banh chung.

When we expressed our intention to visit Mr. Linh, veteran Luong Van Mai happily led the way. As soon as he heard his voice from outside the gate, Mr. Linh asked from inside the house: "Mai is here again!". Then he slowly went to the door to welcome us and happily boasted to us: "That's my adopted son! Thanks to the Mai family and the villagers' care, my old age is less lonely."

Mau Duc Commune Fatherland Front cadre, Party cell secretary, Ke Me village chief and veteran Luong Van Mai visited Lo Thi Linh. Photo: KL

Leaving Ke Me, we carried with us the belief that this Thai village, one of the most difficult and second most difficult communes in Mau Duc, would have improvements thanks to the contributions of prestigious people trusted by the Party and respected by the people, such as veteran Luong Van Mai./.