Fellow-countrymen of the whole nation,
The fact that we have been able to accomplish so much in the first year of fighting and reconstruction is due to the policy of unification steadily pursued by the Provisional Government which thus earned the zealous support of the entire nation.
At the beginning, some people suspected that the Provisional Government was merely a Viet Minh one, that it was a Government conducted by merely a single political party and that as such its policy was unsuited to the general interests.
But that suspicion has been completely dispelled by the introduction of reforms to widen the democratic structure of the Government to embrace all parties. The Government makes every effort to utilise all talent, whether it be that of the modern “intelligentsia,” hitherto largely unemployed under the former French regime, or that exemplified by officials of the former Royal Court. It has decreed the protection of private ownership and encouraged every private enterprise. Political parties are allowed to carry on their activities according to the law. Through that policy, the Government succeeded in uniting all classes of the population and all political parties.
At first, some people suspected that the Provisional Government had communistic tendencies and that therefore it did not recognize God or any religion. The Government dispelled that suspicion not only by its decree recognizing the sacredness of temples, pagodas and churches, but also by granting full religious liberty, taking into consideration alike the interests of Catholic, Buddhist, Caodaist and Evangelist, thus ensuring national solidarity irrespective of religious belief.
Some people with evil designs propagated the idea that the Government was a pro-VietNam people one, that is, one which ignored the interests of minority communities living inside VietNam or even promoted their oppression. The establishment of various Minority Community Offices has put an end to that unfounded propaganda. The Government is carrying out a policy of assistance to all minority communities in every sphere including the economic, political, cultural and educational. Especially in regard to backward minority communities, it is helping them by encouraging those of ability among them so as to raise the general standard of such communities on a level with the rest of the nation, and thereby, ensuring national solidarity among all racial communities inside Viet Nam.
There are people who have hurled the laughable accusation against the Government, that it is an imperialistic one entertaining the ambitious aim of establishing colonial supremacy over the Lao or Khmer people, or even that it is an anti-foreign one, having no consideration for the interests and lives of foreigners living here. Such foolish accusations have been amply controverted by the facts themselves. Our Government has always promoted friendly relations with the Lao and Khmer peoples and always assisted them in all matters. As regards foreigners, far from harbouring any anti-foreign sentiments, we have paid due consideration to the safety of their property and lives. Especially as regards French people, we saved them during the Japanese occupation, for instance at Tam Dao; besides protecting them in Bacbo and Trungbo at the very moment when we were at war with them in Nambo. By our adherence to such a policy, we secured union with the Khmer and Lao peoples inside Indo China and won the sympathy and goodwill of other democratic nations and even of French people.
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