The role of village elders at the border of the Fatherland

(Baonghean) -To contribute to preserving the border, landmarks, building and beautifying the friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Laos, in recent years, Que Phong district has had many good ways, especially promoting the role of prestigious and typical people in propaganda and mobilizing people...

Front officials and village elders and clan leaders of Pa Khom village propagated and mobilized people not to migrate illegally.

Pa Khom is one of 10 Mong villages in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district. Many years ago, because of hunger and poverty, the Pa Khom people, following the advice of bad people, sold their houses, abandoned their land, and left their villages to wander to Laos, with the illusion of getting rich in a new land. Then, life in the neighboring land was not better, so the Pa Khom Mong people returned to their old village.

Like a lost deer or roe deer returning to their old place, the villagers were both happy and sad. The joy was obvious, the sadness was that all their gardens and houses had been sold, and the villagers were left with nothing and did not know how to rebuild their lives. At that time, fortunately, thanks to the Party, agencies, organizations, and local authorities' enthusiastic support in terms of food, clothing, help building houses, giving land, giving fields, and showing them how to do business, Pa Khom was able to rebuild. That was in 2008... - Village elder Tho Chu Ho, a prestigious representative of the Tho family in Pa Khom, recounted. The Mong people are inherently hard-working, and with the cadres showing them the bright path to make a living, life here gradually became stable. The village has nearly 100 households, many of whom have become well-off thanks to farming, wet rice, upland rice, and livestock raising. Typically, Mr. Tho Giong Nu's family raises over 80 buffaloes and cows, and Mr. Tho No Po's family raises 65 buffaloes and cows. In the village, 39 households have implemented the model of growing bitter bamboo shoots - raising and protecting them effectively, earning 10 - 15 million VND/year. Many other households have planted peach trees with similar results.

Following Mr. Lang Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, to Pa Khom today, we saw a peaceful Pa Khom: The adults all went to the forest to the fields, at home there were only children playing and the old people were friendly by the fire. The stoves of the families were all smoldering, on the stove hung a large cast iron pan. According to the cadres of Que Phong district: The sign to recognize whether people were still living at home or had left their place of residence was that cast iron pan. According to the Mong people's concept - the pan is the most valuable asset... Pa Khom today has many improvements but just a few months ago there was still a lot of turmoil.

Mr. Lang Manh Hung said: During the period from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, Pa Khom had 17 households with 138 people wanting to leave this place and migrate to the Nhot Huoi Ton area in Quang Phong commune, Que Phong district. The reason is that the Nhot Huoi Ton area is located in the Pu Huong Nature Reserve, which has a lot of fertile land that can be reclaimed, old forests that can be hunted, and is far from the management of Quang Phong commune. It is worth noting that the 17 households wanting to move here to establish a new village are all well-off, have two-crop rice fields, and do not lack food. Understanding this intention, Tri Le commune and Que Phong district have come to propagate, mobilize and analyze for the people to see the pros and cons, as well as thoroughly understand the land of the reserve.

Only when the border area is peaceful can the interior develop. Realizing the problems that still exist in Pa Khom, in mid-February 2014, the District Party Committee and the Fatherland Front Committee of Que Phong district conducted a survey and implemented the model of "Promoting the role of village elders, village chiefs, and exemplary prestigious people, to mobilize Mong people not to migrate illegally, not to replant opium poppies, to stabilize their lives, develop the economy, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty in Pa Khom village". The method is: District and commune officials have come to eat, live, and work with the people, and to talk to the elderly and prestigious people in the clans about the policies and guidelines of the Party, State, and locality. Once the elderly and prestigious people are informed, they will tell their descendants in the clan. In Mong customs, when the elderly speak, everyone must listen. On this basis, the Standing Committee of the District Fatherland Front has appointed Mr. Tho Chu Ho - a prestigious representative of the Tho family, Mr. Va Chia Nhenh - a prestigious representative of the Va family, Mr. Ly Lia Cha - Head of the Ly family, Mr. Tho No Po - a prestigious representative of the Tho family, Mr. Va Dua Lau - Head of the Va family to the model implementation committee.

Initial results show that the prestigious and exemplary people employed by the district and commune Fatherland Front have promoted their leading roles and responsibilities in mobilizing their fellow countrymen to effectively implement the Law on National Borders, the Law on Drug Prevention and Control, the Law on Marriage and Family, etc. to stabilize their lives. Mr. Va Dua Lau, Pa Khom village, happily boasted: The words were reasonable and emotional, and these 17 households listened and settled down in Pa Khom. Recently, the heads of the Ly and Va families successfully mediated the land dispute between Mr. Ly Say Denh's household and Mr. Va Ba Cau's household.

After being talked to and advised by two clan leaders and prestigious people in the clan in the spirit of brotherhood and neighborliness "A bowl of rice spilled out will never be as full as it was at first", Mr. Denh's family gave that land to Mr. Cau's family; Mr. Va Ba Cau got some material things and words of thanks to Mr. Ly Say Denh. The dispute was resolved peacefully and amicably... In the coming time, with the State continuing to invest in crop and livestock varieties, creating land for people to reclaim land and grow two rice crops, along with the effective activities of the model implementation committee as it is now, Pa Khom will certainly be stable and increasingly prosperous.

In fact, in the remote and extremely difficult mountainous district of Que Phong, incidents of a similar nature to what happened in Pa Khom are not too rare. People still carry a number of backward living and farming habits. The material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities still faces many difficulties and deprivations, especially in the four border communes, which has significantly affected the dissemination of the Party's policies and the State's laws to the people. Since then, many problems have arisen along the 73 km border of the district, such as illegal migration, opium replanting, drug possession and trafficking, illegal proselytizing, etc.

In 2008, the number of Mong people repatriated from Laos was 113 households, nearly 1,000 people. These groups sold all their fields and gardens when they left, and now they have no houses or land for production. To help these households, the Vietnam Fatherland Front coordinated with Border Guard Station 519 through prestigious representatives and clan leaders to go to each house in 10 Mong villages to encourage people to welcome the repatriated people, at the same time mobilize them to give up land to build houses, land for production, and help hundreds of working days to build houses, and donate hundreds of kilograms of rice to help the people. Up to now, with the support of the State, the repatriated households have stabilized their lives - Mr. Lo Van Bao, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Que Phong district said.

Last year, the district Fatherland Front Committee coordinated with departments, branches, and 3 border posts in the area to effectively implement Directive No. 06/2008 of the Prime Minister on promoting the role of prestigious people among ethnic minorities in the cause of national construction and defense. The district Fatherland Front Committee has recruited 191 village elders, clan leaders, and prestigious people in the community; Once the relationship with prestigious people has been built, the Fatherland Front has improved all aspects of knowledge for the elders so that they can pass it on to their children and compatriots. From the place where everyone has been informed and equipped with knowledge by the elders, proactively raising vigilance against all types of crimes, the Fatherland Front has mobilized households and clan leaders to pledge not to violate the law such as not to migrate freely, not to grow opium, not to transport drugs, and to strictly comply with border regulations and rules; Promote labor production, livestock farming, replicate economic development models, create income for families, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. The results show that the coordination and promotion of the role of village elders, clan leaders, and prestigious people have helped to resolve many explosive incidents in the area, contributing to stabilizing border security...

Mr. Lo Van Bao, Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Que Phong district, said: Thanks to the information from the head of the Tho clan in Huoi Xai 2 village, the authorities promptly expelled Gia Ba Denh, 40 years old, Mong ethnic, residing in Thuong Xuan, Thanh Hoa, who came to apply for immigration, showing signs of illegal proselytizing. Promoting the role of village elders, heads of the Ly, Tho, Va clans in Muong Long, Nam Toc and Pa Khom villages, the Fatherland Front successfully persuaded a number of households to give up the intention of freely migrating within the district to Quang Phong and Hanh Dich communes. Up to now, the situation of free migration in Tri Le commune has no longer occurred...

Together with the Mong people, prominent people from other ethnic groups such as the Thai and Kho Mu have regularly coordinated to mobilize their children to promote the transformation of backward production practices, take care of health, environmental sanitation, and do a good job in education. In particular, prominent elders in Thong Thu and Dong Van communes have set an example in implementing and mobilizing 1,400 households of their children, relatives, and villagers to move to new resettlement areas in time to prevent the flow of the Hua Na Hydropower Project. In addition, the elders have actively encouraged their children to participate in patrolling and protecting the border and landmarks, maintaining solidarity between clans, ethnic groups, and villages along the Vietnam-Laos border.

In particular, last year, through the role of prominent prestigious people, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee coordinated to organize a twinning ceremony between Muong Piet village, Thong Thu commune, with Nam Tay village, Vieng Phan cluster, Sam Tay district, Hua Phan province (Laos) and between Huoi Moi 2 village, Tri Le commune, with Den Din village, Phan Thong cluster, Muong Quan district, Hua Phan province, Laos. This friendship is very meaningful, creating conditions for people of the two countries to visit relatives and exchange goods. Through that, we regularly maintain the information exchange regime between us and our friends, promptly and effectively resolving issues related to the governments and people of the two countries... "A prosperous country is built by the elders. A country exists thanks to the help of the elders. When a country is lost, the elders save it. When a country collapses, the elders support it." – Perhaps more than anyone else, it is the village elders, clan leaders, and prestigious people in Que Phong who are worthy of the teachings of beloved Uncle Ho. They have made important contributions to the development of the local socio-economy, the improvement of people’s lives, and the consolidation and strengthening of people’s trust in the Party’s leadership.

Thanh Son