At 75 years old, this small man with a resolute gaze is not only a model village elder, but also a solid “bridge” between the Party, the State and ethnic minorities. He is a living testament to the power of devotion, showing that when trust is sown in the right place, it can transform an entire community.
For a full decade as Head of the Front Work Committee and pastor of Phu Mang 1 Association, village elder Dieu Cu has never had a day off from his work of mobilizing and propagating people to implement the Party's policies and the State's laws. In village meetings, meetings between clans, and even when going to the fields or forests, he always takes the opportunity to remind his children and grandchildren to live a good life, eliminate superstition, push back social evils and preserve the national cultural identity.
Old Dieu Cu shared: “Being a village elder is not only to represent the voice of the community, but also to arouse the spirit of solidarity, guiding people towards a civilized and sustainable life. If I don’t set an example, who will listen?”. It is also because of that exemplary character that his words have weight, are convincing enough, making people believe and follow.
Village elder Dieu Cu is considered an extension of the government in the work of building new rural areas and ensuring political security in the locality.
In the movement of the People to protect the security of the Fatherland, he paid special attention to preventing illegal migration, land disputes, illegal trading of production land, and illegal sale of young cashews - issues that have caused many households to fall into a spiral of poverty. "In the village, if there is any discord or dispute, big or small, as long as there is the presence of village elder Dieu Cu, everyone will listen and ask to withdraw the wrongdoings," said Mr. Hoang Van Lu, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of Long Ha commune.
One of the most touching stories is the case of Dieu Pin's family, a poor household that often falls into unemployment and drinks all the time. Seeing that, the village elder not only advised but also directly asked for a stable job for the couple: tapping rubber for hire. Now, each month, they earn 14 million VND, their life is stable, and their children have the conditions to study. "My family used to suffer, go hungry, and drink, but since Dieu Cu's father advised me, I came to my senses and got a job, and had a stable future. The village elder is the benefactor of my whole family," Dieu Pin confided.
Born and raised in the village of Stieng, village elder Dieu Cu understands better than anyone the bad customs that have "haunted" the lives of many generations: expensive weddings, long funerals, and complicated ceremonies that have left many families bankrupt, selling their fields to save face in the village. From that awareness, he began a long-term campaign, often facing the reactions and anger of the villagers themselves. "They thought I wanted to abandon traditional culture. But gradually I realized that I did not destroy beauty, I just wanted to abandon backwardness," he recalled.
The result of years of perseverance is that the number of lavish weddings in Phu Mang 1 village has decreased sharply. Many families have small, economical weddings; funerals are simple and reasonable. The sounds of gongs and traditional dances still resound but are no longer accompanied by scenes of drinking, superstition, and outdated magic. Ms. Thi Gai - a villager - said with pride: "The elderly have helped us understand that preserving our identity does not mean clinging to the past. What needs to be preserved is what is beautiful, what is worthy of pride. What needs to be abandoned is what pushes us into poverty."
Through concrete actions, village elder Dieu Cu has built a united, loyal, and strong community. Over the years, he has successfully mobilized most of the households (120 households in the village) to achieve the title of “Cultural Family”. Phu Mang 1 village has become one of the residential areas without social evils, no more hungry households, no more wasteful funerals and weddings.
After more than half a century of living in the village, perhaps what makes him happiest is not the title or the compliments, but the image of children going to school, the laughter of reunited families, the bright lights throughout the village every night. Village elder Dieu Cu - a life for the community, a life as an example for many generations - still quietly walks through each farming season, hoping that his fellow countrymen can live happily and comfortably.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/doi-song/gia-lang-dieu-cu-tan-tuy-giu-binh-yen-cho-buon-lang-i773087/
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