Phó Sáng Tất

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Phó Sáng Tất
Wellington Koo 1945.jpg
7th Prime Minister of Quenmin
In office
19 September 1928 – 9 August 1934
MonarchXuất Nghìn
Preceded byPhan Vỵ
Succeeded byNgô Minh Xuân
Leader of the Opposition
In office
4 June 1925 – 10 September 1928
MonarchXuất Nghìn
Prime MinisterPhan Vỵ
Preceded byVương Cao Phong
Succeeded byVũ Thanh Thế
Minister of Commerce
In office
21 November 1920 – 4 June 1926
MonarchXuất Nghìn
Prime MinisterTrịnh Nguyên Huynh
Preceded byVũ Yên Bình
Succeeded byMạch Anh Thái
Member of the Supreme Assembly for Dầu Tiếng North
In office
7 March 1914 – 17 November 1920
MonarchBảo Thịnh, Xuất Nghìn
Prime MinisterLê Đính Thịnh
Preceded byNguyễn Minh Trí
Succeeded byTrịnh Quyết Thắng
Personal details
Born
Phó Duy Luận

(1889-05-10)10 May 1889
Bắc Kạn, Tuyên Hóa Province, Quenmin
Died16 February 1968(1968-02-16) (aged 78)
Bắc Tân Uyên, Nhật Nam Province, Quenmin
Political partyNationalist Party
SpouseNgư Bảo Quỳnh
Children4
Alma materMinh Vuong University
OccupationSenior commercial banking officer
Courtesy nameSáng Tất

Phó Duy Luận (10 May 1879 – 16 February 1968), courtesy name Sáng Tất, was the 7th Prime Minister of Quenmin whose tenure lasted from 1928 to 1934. Before holding office, he was an Assemblymember, a Minister of Commerce in Trịnh Nguyên Huynh's second cabinet, and Leader of the Opposition.

Sáng Tất was born Phó Duy Luận to an upper middle class family in Bắc Kạn in 1889. His father was a businessman who owned a train company, and from assisting the company's financial staff with eagerness, Sáng Tất studied for and obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Minh Vuong University. At 21, he was employed at Quân Lợi Imperial Banking Company afterwards, and obtained his courtesy name. In the span of 8 years, he became a senior commercial banking officer. In 1912, he became a member of the Nationalist Party and subsequently campaigned and became an Assemblymember for the constituency of Dầu Tiếng North from 1914 to 1920. After Trịnh Nguyên Huynh was elected to serve a second term as Prime Minister, Sáng Tất was appointed Minister of Commerce and served from 1920 until Huynh's death in 1926 by stroke. When Phan Vỵ of the Quocvangist Party succeeded Huynh, he was elected Leader of the Opposition, and became a vocal critic of the Quocvangist ideology. During Vỵ's tenure, Sáng Tất and his political party collaborated with other parties such as the Yellow Dragon Party, the Blue Unicorn Party and the Civic League to postpone and reject laws detrimental to their views and the political status quo. He then exploited the fallout of the Phan Vỵ corruption scandal that emerged in mid-1928, and convinced the Prime Minister to resign from office. With the Nationalists winning more seats in the same year's general election under the Freedom Preservation Alliance parliamentary coalition, Sáng Tất was appointed Prime Minister and took office on 19 September.

During the 1930s, Sáng Tất dealt with the economic crisis, which became the prevailing factor of his tenure. In response to the effects of the economic issue, Sáng Tất ienacted a series of economic policies which attempted to revive the national economy to its pre-crisis state, termed "Tatonomics." While the policies alleviated failing businesses and added jobs, the effects were not long-term with banks reluctant in issuing and taking riskier loans, and unemployment soaring from 15% to 21%. Moreover, an agrarian reform program initiated by him attempted to mitigate the farm crisis, but had little effect than expected. Alongside economic policies, Sáng Tất instituted policies banning communist and Quocvangist material and organizations, and made initiatives to bar and dissolve the Quocvangist Party. However, with his inability to resolve the prevalent economic effects, support for the Quocvangists and the communists multiplied among the populace, and he became increasingly unpopular. Due to these ramifications, Sáng Tất resigned from his office on 9 August 1934, and recommended Ngô Minh Xuân to succeed him. Sáng Tất became a political prisoner when the Quocvangists seized power in 1935, and was released in 1946 upon the Turquoise Revolution. He served as an advisor to Thạch Liễng Chánh until 1950 when he announced his retirement due to disagreements with land reform, and became an author until his death in 1968.

Sáng Tất's political legacy is generally mixed among historians. While his economic mishandling proved consequential in the Quocvangists' rise and prominence in Quenminese politics, he is praised for being a humanitarian and a vital figure against Quocvangism.

Early life

Early political career

Prime minister

Arrest and later political career

Later life and death

Legacy