Comrade Mai Cat - an enthusiastic party member, an excellent son of his hometown Tan Loc

Comrade Mai Cat's father was Mr. Mai Hoe, whose birth name was Mai Pho (also known as Mr. Quyen Vinh, Quyen Thoai), a famous figure in Phan Dinh Phung's Can Vuong movement; his mother was Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim, a loyal, hard-working, capable woman, full of patriotism. They had 8 children (5 boys, 3 girls). After Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim passed away, Mr. Mai Hoe married a second wife, Mrs. Diep Thi Xuyen, and had another daughter, Mai Thi Chin. Comrade Mai Cat was Mr. Mai Hoe's third child.

Like many other rural areas of Nghe An, Dinh Lu village was originally a poor land but carried within it a tradition of patriotism and a tradition of studiousness that is very typical of Can Loc district. The fine traditions of the homeland, clan, and family contributed to fostering patriotism, soul, and character of the staunch communist soldier Mai Cat. Growing up in the revolutionary atmosphere of the family, and being taught by Mr. Mai Hoe, a patriot who was fluent in Chinese characters and had profound knowledge, with his intelligence, the older Mai Cat grew, the more he showed himself to be a young man with a strong will, eager to learn, and was soon enlightened about the spirit of patriotism and participated in revolutionary activities.

On July 14, 1925, patriotic intellectuals from Nghe Tinh such as Le Huan, Ton Quang Phiet, Tran Phu... gathered at Con Meo Mountain (Ben Thuy, Vinh City, Nghe An) to establish the Phuc Viet Association (the predecessor of the Tan Viet Party) with the goal of gathering patriotic forces among the people, overthrowing French colonialism, and restoring independence to the country. Under the direction of the Phuc Viet Association's Headquarters, members approached and built bases in many localities, including Can Loc, Ha Tinh. The first Phuc Viet group was also formed in Can Loc in September 1925.

By 1926, the Tan Viet organization in Dinh Lu village was established with 7 people, led by Hoang Khoi Lac including: Hoang Khoi Lac, Hoang Lien, Hoang Ky, Nguyen Cu, Mai Cat, Nguyen Dinh, Nguyen Bieu.

Under the leadership of comrade Hoang Khoa Lac, Tan Viet party members in Dinh Lu, including comrade Mai Cat, actively propagated and mobilized people to participate in the revolution, fought against landlords who appropriated public land and against excessive surcharges. Along with developing the organization and mobilizing people to fight, Mai Cat and comrades in Tan Viet organization also actively promoted the establishment of wards and associations such as roofing wards, filial piety wards, happy wards, plowing wards, etc., thereby propagating and enlightening the masses, helping each other to solve difficulties in life.

From 1926 to 1929, the activities of comrade Mai Cat and the Tan Viet organization attracted the participation of many mass organizations. The struggles to redistribute public land of farmers led by Tan Viet broke out continuously. As a result, the villages in the commune won a lot of public land from the hands of mandarins, tyrants, and village chiefs.

Also during this time, the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association actively propagated Marxism-Leninism in Ha Tinh. Many Tan Viet Party members, including comrade Mai Cat, were influenced by the Youth Association and switched to the proletarian revolutionary stance.

After the Communist Party of Vietnam was born, the Central Region Party Committee sent comrade Tran Huu Thieu to Can Loc, Ha Tinh to build the Party organization. Under the direction of comrade Tran Huu Thieu, the provisional Can Loc District Party Committee was established with 5 comrades with comrade Tran Chau as Secretary.

Also in February 1930, at Dinh Lu communal house, the first communist cell in Can Loc was officially established, called Dinh Lu cell, including 5 comrades: Hoang Khoai Lac (Secretary), Hoang Lien, Nguyen Cu, Mai Cat, Hoang Ky.

Immediately after its establishment, Dinh Lu Party Cell, along with Party members including comrade Mai Cat, actively worked, established mass organizations, and propagated patriotism and the Party's revolutionary line to the people.

Responding to the call of the Regional Party Committee and Provincial Party Committee to organize the celebration of International Labor Day on May 1, 1930, comrade Mai Cat and the Dinh Lu Party Cell hung the Party flag and distributed leaflets in several villages in the commune with the content of exposing the enemy's crimes and calling on the masses to stand up to fight, support the Party and the revolution. In addition, he also actively participated in organizing speeches and propagating the Party's guidelines, thereby creating trust among the masses.

After the event of May 1, 1930, the struggle movement of the Tan Loc people had a new development. On June 6, 1930, comrade Mai Cat and the Dinh Lu Party Cell continued to organize the struggle with the participation of nearly 200 people from 4 hamlets: Thuong Dong, Thuong Tay, Ha Dong, Ha Tay, surrounding Dinh Lu communal house from morning to noon, forcing the local authorities to hand over 36 hectares of public land (which they had previously seized) to the people.

The victory of the struggle for public land in Dinh Lu village strongly encouraged the peasant movement in villages and communes; at the same time, it added strength and confidence to enthusiastic cadres and party members like comrade Mai Cat in the struggle against the enemy.

At the end of July 1930, the Provisional District Party Committee held a conference to discuss plans to celebrate the International Day Against Imperialist Wars on August 1, 1930, with the policy of organizing mass demonstrations at the district office to make demands, demanding tax exemption, tax reduction, and redistribution of public land.

At dawn on August 1, 1930, comrade Mai Cat and more than 300 farmers from Phu Luu and Lai Thach communes gathered at Truong Gio with excitement and enthusiasm. After listening to comrade Hoang Khoa Lac's speech denouncing the plots and tricks of the French colonialists and their lackeys, along with the meaning of August 1, the protesters marched to the district capital to fight. Panicked, District Chief Tran Manh Dan hurriedly led soldiers to deal with the situation. Faced with the strength of the masses, he had to accept the 10-point demand of the people and promised to report to the Provincial authorities, and would respond within 10 days.

The demonstration was successful, resonating throughout the districts in the province. With his active and energetic activities, during this time, comrade Mai Cat was elected as Secretary of the Dinh Lu Party Cell.

After the August 1, 1930 struggle, the enemy sent dozens of soldiers with commanders to station at Mr. Nguyen Sinh’s house (Dinh Lu village) to arrest those involved in the demonstration. A number of cadres and party members of Tan Loc were arrested and brutally tortured to intimidate the people’s spirit.

On September 2, 1930, the Can Loc District Chief led 50 soldiers in green uniforms to station at Ha Dong hamlet to suppress the revolution. During this suppression, they arrested party members and a number of revolutionary masses such as: Nguyen Cu, Mai Cat, Nguyen Kinh, Nguyen Bieu, Nguyen Dinh, Nguyen Trac, Hoang Lien...⁽¹⁾In the imperialist prison, despite being tortured and enticed by many tricks, Mai Cat and other comrades remained steadfast and unyielding in maintaining the integrity of communists. After a period of imprisonment and torture without being able to extract any confession, the French colonialists were forced to release comrade Mai Cat. Returning home, the excellent party member of Dinh Lu Party Cell continued to stand side by side with the people in the struggles against the enemy.

In early 1931, the movement to fight against tax collection developed strongly in many localities, including Tan Loc. Faced with the people's poverty and hardship, comrade Mai Cat and the Dinh Lu Party Cell organized a fundraiser, borrowing rice from rich families to help poor families overcome their hardship. As a result, the Party Cell raised 77 quan of money and over 10 tons of rice to distribute to the people. The movement to confiscate landlords' property in Dinh Lu took place strongly and spread to other villages. The enemy tried every way but still could not collect taxes. This was a great victory for the people of Tan Loc, in which there was no small contribution from the Dinh Lu Party Cell and party members like comrade Mai Cat in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement.

In March and April 1931, many struggles of Tan Loc people took place, attracting hundreds of participants. Comrade Mai Cat and the Party cell continued to lead the masses to the houses of the tyrants and village chiefs, demanding land and rice to be distributed to the poor. Faced with the momentum of the masses, the tyrants, village chiefs, and village priests had to give in and did not dare to be arrogant.

To calm the spirit of the shaky and exhausted local mandarins and local landlords, and to deal with the rising fighting spirit of the people, the enemy built forts and increased the number of soldiers in some villages to facilitate repression. They increased patrols and searches day and night, brutally suppressing those suspected of revolutionary activities. However, in Tan Loc, the mass struggle movement was still strong, many Soviet government villages were established, and many policies were implemented to bring practical benefits to the people.

Before the development of the revolutionary movement in Nghe Tinh, the French colonialists carried out white terror in an attempt to suppress the movement. In Tan Loc, in just a short time, almost all cadres and party members of mass organizations in the commune were arrested. The four father and sons of Mai Dinh Hoe, Mai Cat,Mai Dinh, Mai Trac were both imprisoned. Comrade Mai Trac heroically sacrificed his life in imperial prison.

During the days of imprisonment at Vinh Prison, despite being brutally tortured, comrade Mai Cat and many other comrades still refused to confess, remaining loyal to the Party and the revolution. The harsh prison regime, the beatings and vicious tricks of the enemy further tempered the communists' will. Belief in the Party was like a flame that always lit up the ideals of the soldiers in the dark prison.

In 1933, comrade Mai Cat was released from prison. Returning to his hometown, he continued to enthusiastically participate in revolutionary activities. From 1934 to 1939, together with cadres and party members in Dinh Lu, comrade Mai Cat actively participated in mobilizing the masses to fight legally and semi-legally, reorganizing guilds as a base for activities. The comrades organized the people to file lawsuits against village chiefs and tyrants to reclaim public land and excessive surcharges. While the revolutionary movement was gradually being restored and had many improvements, most of the cadres and party members in Tan Loc were terrorized and imprisoned.

In 1940, comrade Mai Cat fell into enemy hands again and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.⁽²⁾and imprisoned in Buon Me Thuot Prison. Far from his homeland and family, he continued to be imprisoned in the Central Highlands, but the difficulties, hardships, and physical and mental pain still did not discourage the elite communist of his hometown Tan Loc. In prison, he still actively studied and participated in the struggle movement of his fellow political prisoners with the belief that one day he would return to his homeland, live and fight for the revolutionary cause of the Party.

In 1945, after Japan ousted France, monopolized Indochina, and established the Tran Trong Kim puppet government in our country, comrade Mai Cat and many released political prisoners returned to their localities to support the revolution. In July 1945, the Viet Minh District Leadership Board was established, with comrades Mai Cat and Nguyen Cu participating in Tan Loc.

Under the direction of the district Viet Minh Front, directly led by comrades Mai Cat and Nguyen Cu, the cadres and party members in Tan Loc, after being released from prison, quickly contacted the remaining party members to promote, gather forces, and establish the Viet Minh Front. The Viet Minh organization of Tan Loc was established, including comrades: Mai Cat, Nguyen Cu, Tran Dinh, Mai Dinh, Nguyen Xuan Dap, Nguyen Doan Trap, Nguyen Doan Tao...

To prepare for the uprising to seize power, cadres and party members assigned each person, each family to mobilize the people to protest. On the night of August 17, 1945, under the direction of the Phu Luu General Committee, three red flags with hammer and sickle were secretly hung on the three tallest banyan trees in the villages of Kim Tan, Dinh Lu, and Hong Loc by three comrades: Nguyen Xuan Dap, Mai Cat, and Ho Thuyet.

On August 18, 1945, the uprising to seize power in Dinh Lu and Kim Chuy succeeded, each village elected a provisional revolutionary committee. Comrade Mai Cat was elected Chairman of the provisional revolutionary committee of Dinh Lu village.

In March 1946, the 4th Congress of Can Loc District Party Committee was held at the house of comrade Tran Trung, Thuong Tru village. The conference discussed important issues of decisive nature in strengthening the leadership role of the Party, improving the quality of the government apparatus, the front... and elected the official District Party Committee Executive Committee with comrade Mai Cat as Secretary.⁽³⁾.

Promoting the role of a party member, from 1948 to 1960, comrade Mai Cat held many important positions such as: Vice Chairman of Hong Yen Commune Committee (1948-1949); Can Loc District Judge (1951-1952); Standing Member of Tan Loc Commune Party Committee (1953); Party Executive Committee, Chairman of Tan Loc Commune Committee in the land reform that was wrongly accused (1954-1956); Chairman of Tan Loc Commune Committee (1959-1960);⁽⁴⁾…

In 1968, Comrade Mai Cat retired in his hometown. Due to old age and poor health, he passed away in 1978 at the age of 80.

With his contributions to the Party's revolutionary cause, comrade Mai Cat was honored by the State to be recognized as a veteran revolutionary cadre and awarded the Third Class Independence Medal and Third Class Resistance Medal.

Comrade Mai Cat's wife, Mrs. Bui Thi Tin (former member of the Executive Committee of the Women's Union of Tan Loc commune) was also recognized as a cadre participating in revolutionary activities before 1945 (revolutionary activities in 1930, 1937, 1938).

Born and raised in a family with a rich tradition of patriotism, Comrade Mai Cat was soon enlightened and participated in revolutionary activities, becoming an enthusiastic party member, an excellent son of his hometown Tan Loc. His contributions to the cause of national liberation have been deeply imprinted in the history of his hometown and are remembered with respect and pride by today's young generation.

Note:
(1) History of Tan Loc Commune Party Committee 1930-2000, Labor Publishing House; 2012; p. 55
(2) History of Tan Loc Commune Party Committee 1930-2000, Labor Publishing House; 2012; p. 79
(3) According to the History of the Can Loc District Party Committee; National Political Publishing House, 2005, pp. 115-116
(4) According to the Party membership profile of comrade Mai Cat provided by his family.