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| Selected Speeches |
| The Church of Haile Selassie I, Inc. |
| Chapter VI |
| Upon The Signing Of The Ethiopian Constitution Jul. 16, 1931 |
| Selected Speeches |
| Haile Selassie the First - July 16, 1931 |
We, having been entrusted by the Grace of God with the mission of the
protection of Ethiopia, have decided that it is not sufficient merely to
glorify the All-Highest who has conferred this great honour on Us, with
words only, and to give expression to Our sentiments by petty actions,
which are transient and apt to be forgotten.
The effors which We have made to establish a Constitution which shall be
lasting and of advantage to all, and which shall be handed down from
generation to generation, although they are but the incomplete evidence of
Our gratitude to the All-Highest, We have desired to bring ou together, in
this place an at this hour, in order to expound to you the work which We
have prepared, and whose realization We entrust to the All-Highest.
Nobody doubts but the laws bring to mankind the greatest advantages
and that the honour and interest of all persons depend on the wisdom
of the laws, whereas humiliation, shame, iniquity and the denial of
man's rights all originate from the absence or inadequacy of laws.
The Lord, who is above all creations, although possessing the power
to order everything according to His will, has nevertheless wished to
establish the rule of law and to subject it to all creation.
He who is worthy of praise amongst men is the man who, animated by
sentiments of justice, perseveres in the way of equity, and tries to the
utmost of his means to improve the condition, if not of all mindkind, at
any rate of most of them.
Although many things have arisen to frustrate Our purpose, yet Our
constant efforts in the course of the last years have tended towards the
establishment, amongst other things, of a Constitution. The idea which
has so much occupied Our thoughts, in the interests of Ethiopia and
Our well-beloved people, and which has been the subject of our
unceasing attention, is the one which We are now expounding:
1. To grant a Constitution to the entire Ethiopian people;
2. To ensure that it is observed and maintained.
The main provisions of this Consitution, which We are giving to the
Ethiopian people, are as follows:
Provisions
1. Ethiopia must remain united, without dissention, like the members
of a family. She must be regulated by a Constitution of universal
application and governed by an Emperor. The force of this unity must
be based on community interests, so that the individual, without as a
result suffering neglect or prejudice, may understand the power of this
unity and the advantages to be drawn from it in the protection of his
personal interests, whilst at the same time renouncing all personal
ambition which would be to the detriment of the common goal.
2. The law, whether it entails reward or punishment, must apply
equally to all, without exception.
3. It is not useless to recall that in the past, the Ethiopian people,
being completely isolated from the rest of the world and thus unable to
take advantage of the great movements of modern civilization, were in
a backward state which justified their Sovereign governing them as a
good father rules his household. But considerable progress having
occurred in all directions thanks to Our subjects, their Emperor is
entitled to decide that the grant of a Constitution is not premature and
that the time has come for them to share in the mighty task which their
Sovereigns alone have had to accomplish in the past.
It is necessary for the modern Ethiopian to accustom himself to take
part in the direction of all departments of the State, and it is with that in
mind that We have resolved, so that those who are worthy to do so
may sit in them, to create two Chambers whose members will be
chosen by Provinces, with the approval of the Emperor. Decisions
will be taken in these Chambers according to the wishes of the
majority of their members, but they will not enjoy the force of the law
until they have received the approval of His Majesty the Emperor.
4. Responsible Ministers will be charged with the execution in the
whole of Ethiopia, in conformity with the interests of the State and the
people, of the decisions arrived at in the deliberations of these
Chambers, after they have received the approval of His Majesty the
Emperor.
5. So as to allay any doubt that may exist as to the succession to the
Throne and to avoid the imputation of any prejudice to Ethiopia, the
right to the Imperial Throne is reserved, by this Constitution, to the
actual dynasty.
6. The utilitarian object of laws being to develop human progress in
accordance with the most high and certain principles, these laws must
be based on scientific methods, having as their object a harmonious
improvement of all things.
7. This Constitution has not been produced haphazardly, nor is it in
conflict with the customs of the country. It is inspired by and modelled
on the principles of other civilized countries. It has been studied with
the collaboration of Princes, Dignigatries, and the most enlightened of
Our subjects.
Man can only begin an enterprise, it is for God to dispose of it to a
good end. We hope that the Lord will help Us to apply this
Constitution and allow Us to complete the task which We have taken
upon Ourselves.
To conclude, We wish to thank the Diplomatic and Consular Corps
who have been good enough to lend additional splendour to this
solemn occasion by their presence on this happy day on which We
have appended Our signature to this the Constitution of Our State.
protection of Ethiopia, have decided that it is not sufficient merely to
glorify the All-Highest who has conferred this great honour on Us, with
words only, and to give expression to Our sentiments by petty actions,
which are transient and apt to be forgotten.
The effors which We have made to establish a Constitution which shall be
lasting and of advantage to all, and which shall be handed down from
generation to generation, although they are but the incomplete evidence of
Our gratitude to the All-Highest, We have desired to bring ou together, in
this place an at this hour, in order to expound to you the work which We
have prepared, and whose realization We entrust to the All-Highest.
Nobody doubts but the laws bring to mankind the greatest advantages
and that the honour and interest of all persons depend on the wisdom
of the laws, whereas humiliation, shame, iniquity and the denial of
man's rights all originate from the absence or inadequacy of laws.
The Lord, who is above all creations, although possessing the power
to order everything according to His will, has nevertheless wished to
establish the rule of law and to subject it to all creation.
He who is worthy of praise amongst men is the man who, animated by
sentiments of justice, perseveres in the way of equity, and tries to the
utmost of his means to improve the condition, if not of all mindkind, at
any rate of most of them.
Although many things have arisen to frustrate Our purpose, yet Our
constant efforts in the course of the last years have tended towards the
establishment, amongst other things, of a Constitution. The idea which
has so much occupied Our thoughts, in the interests of Ethiopia and
Our well-beloved people, and which has been the subject of our
unceasing attention, is the one which We are now expounding:
1. To grant a Constitution to the entire Ethiopian people;
2. To ensure that it is observed and maintained.
The main provisions of this Consitution, which We are giving to the
Ethiopian people, are as follows:
Provisions
1. Ethiopia must remain united, without dissention, like the members
of a family. She must be regulated by a Constitution of universal
application and governed by an Emperor. The force of this unity must
be based on community interests, so that the individual, without as a
result suffering neglect or prejudice, may understand the power of this
unity and the advantages to be drawn from it in the protection of his
personal interests, whilst at the same time renouncing all personal
ambition which would be to the detriment of the common goal.
2. The law, whether it entails reward or punishment, must apply
equally to all, without exception.
3. It is not useless to recall that in the past, the Ethiopian people,
being completely isolated from the rest of the world and thus unable to
take advantage of the great movements of modern civilization, were in
a backward state which justified their Sovereign governing them as a
good father rules his household. But considerable progress having
occurred in all directions thanks to Our subjects, their Emperor is
entitled to decide that the grant of a Constitution is not premature and
that the time has come for them to share in the mighty task which their
Sovereigns alone have had to accomplish in the past.
It is necessary for the modern Ethiopian to accustom himself to take
part in the direction of all departments of the State, and it is with that in
mind that We have resolved, so that those who are worthy to do so
may sit in them, to create two Chambers whose members will be
chosen by Provinces, with the approval of the Emperor. Decisions
will be taken in these Chambers according to the wishes of the
majority of their members, but they will not enjoy the force of the law
until they have received the approval of His Majesty the Emperor.
4. Responsible Ministers will be charged with the execution in the
whole of Ethiopia, in conformity with the interests of the State and the
people, of the decisions arrived at in the deliberations of these
Chambers, after they have received the approval of His Majesty the
Emperor.
5. So as to allay any doubt that may exist as to the succession to the
Throne and to avoid the imputation of any prejudice to Ethiopia, the
right to the Imperial Throne is reserved, by this Constitution, to the
actual dynasty.
6. The utilitarian object of laws being to develop human progress in
accordance with the most high and certain principles, these laws must
be based on scientific methods, having as their object a harmonious
improvement of all things.
7. This Constitution has not been produced haphazardly, nor is it in
conflict with the customs of the country. It is inspired by and modelled
on the principles of other civilized countries. It has been studied with
the collaboration of Princes, Dignigatries, and the most enlightened of
Our subjects.
Man can only begin an enterprise, it is for God to dispose of it to a
good end. We hope that the Lord will help Us to apply this
Constitution and allow Us to complete the task which We have taken
upon Ourselves.
To conclude, We wish to thank the Diplomatic and Consular Corps
who have been good enough to lend additional splendour to this
solemn occasion by their presence on this happy day on which We
have appended Our signature to this the Constitution of Our State.
| Legal & Constitutional |
| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |
| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |