| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |
| Haile Selassie I |
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| Selected Speeches |
| The Church of Haile Selassie I, Inc. |
| The Church of Haile Selassie I, Inc. |
| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |
| Selected Speeches |
Following the liberation of Our nation in 1941, We created a coherent and
modern system of government. Government departments were
established, each with its defined sphere of jurisdiction. A sound
provincial admininstration was formed, in order that Ethiopia might
become a more closely knit and unified entity. As the nation developed
and grew, We endeavoured to assure that the organization and pattern of
government kept pace. The full extent of the nation's achievements during
these years will be apparent to all who, objectively and honestly, survey
their history.....
.....The ultimate resource of a nation is its people. Unless this resource is
employed for the benefit of the nation, unless the latent good which it
represents is exploited to the maximum extent for the common good, the
nation will languish, poor in spirit, lacking in achievement. But no people
can make their full contribution to the life of the nation to which they owe
allegiance unless they possess and enjoy those few fundamental
prerequisites indispensable to rendering their participation in the affairs of
their country both possible and significant. The growth of a people is
complex and inter-related. Man must be educated: he cannot come to
grips with or cope with or understand the modern world unless he has
been taught about it. He must be assured of a minimum economic
security: he cannot concern himself with matters going beyond the
day-to-day satisfaction of his physical needs unless he is fed and clothed
and sheltered, nor can he acquire a sufficient degree of social
consciousness to be able to subordinate his own personal interests to the
good of the naton and the deelopment of its society. Freedom, Liberty,
the rights of man -- these mean little to the ignorant, the hungry, the ill
clothed, the badly housed.
modern system of government. Government departments were
established, each with its defined sphere of jurisdiction. A sound
provincial admininstration was formed, in order that Ethiopia might
become a more closely knit and unified entity. As the nation developed
and grew, We endeavoured to assure that the organization and pattern of
government kept pace. The full extent of the nation's achievements during
these years will be apparent to all who, objectively and honestly, survey
their history.....
.....The ultimate resource of a nation is its people. Unless this resource is
employed for the benefit of the nation, unless the latent good which it
represents is exploited to the maximum extent for the common good, the
nation will languish, poor in spirit, lacking in achievement. But no people
can make their full contribution to the life of the nation to which they owe
allegiance unless they possess and enjoy those few fundamental
prerequisites indispensable to rendering their participation in the affairs of
their country both possible and significant. The growth of a people is
complex and inter-related. Man must be educated: he cannot come to
grips with or cope with or understand the modern world unless he has
been taught about it. He must be assured of a minimum economic
security: he cannot concern himself with matters going beyond the
day-to-day satisfaction of his physical needs unless he is fed and clothed
and sheltered, nor can he acquire a sufficient degree of social
consciousness to be able to subordinate his own personal interests to the
good of the naton and the deelopment of its society. Freedom, Liberty,
the rights of man -- these mean little to the ignorant, the hungry, the ill
clothed, the badly housed.
| True representatives |
All of this We have, from Our earliest days, recognized, and in the years
during which We have guided and directed the destinies of the Ethiopian
people and nation, We have endeavoured to accomodate and give due
consideration to this basic truth. To you, the legislators of the Empire,
has been confided the high responsibility of ensuring that the needs and the
desires of those who chose you as their representatives are well and truly
served in the legislative programmes which will be placed before you.
You must ensure that in your desire to achieve immediate goals, long-term
considerations of equal or greater importance are not ignored or
irrevocably prejudiced. Those who will prepare your Government's
programmes will do so honestly and sincerely, seeking thereby to secure
the further progress of Ethiopia and her people. But you, as well as they,
share in the responsibility for guaranteeing that this progress is not only
apparent but real, and that each step forward paves the way for the next.
May Almighty God grant you wisdom, understanding and judgment....
during which We have guided and directed the destinies of the Ethiopian
people and nation, We have endeavoured to accomodate and give due
consideration to this basic truth. To you, the legislators of the Empire,
has been confided the high responsibility of ensuring that the needs and the
desires of those who chose you as their representatives are well and truly
served in the legislative programmes which will be placed before you.
You must ensure that in your desire to achieve immediate goals, long-term
considerations of equal or greater importance are not ignored or
irrevocably prejudiced. Those who will prepare your Government's
programmes will do so honestly and sincerely, seeking thereby to secure
the further progress of Ethiopia and her people. But you, as well as they,
share in the responsibility for guaranteeing that this progress is not only
apparent but real, and that each step forward paves the way for the next.
May Almighty God grant you wisdom, understanding and judgment....
| Haile Selassie the First - November 2, 1961 |
| Modern Ethiopianism Nov. 02, 1961 |
....Annually, on this day, when We celebrate the Anniversary of Our
Coronation, We have convened the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies,
assembled in joint session, as they take up their work for the coming year.
Today, there are gathered together before Us the members of the second
Parliament convened since the Revised Constitution was promulgated six
years ago. Included among you are the newly-elected Deputies, chosen
by the people in free elections held during the past months. Those men
who preceded you have set a hgh example. Recorded on the statute books
of the Empire are the Penal, Civil, Commercial and Maritime Codes, each a
monumental work in its right, all promulgated after careful study by them.
During their term of office, over a score of major laws, touching all
aspects of Ethiopia's affairs, have been enacted. Take up where they left
off, emulate them, build on the foundation which they have laid down, that
your nation may advance in progress and enlightenment.....
Coronation, We have convened the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies,
assembled in joint session, as they take up their work for the coming year.
Today, there are gathered together before Us the members of the second
Parliament convened since the Revised Constitution was promulgated six
years ago. Included among you are the newly-elected Deputies, chosen
by the people in free elections held during the past months. Those men
who preceded you have set a hgh example. Recorded on the statute books
of the Empire are the Penal, Civil, Commercial and Maritime Codes, each a
monumental work in its right, all promulgated after careful study by them.
During their term of office, over a score of major laws, touching all
aspects of Ethiopia's affairs, have been enacted. Take up where they left
off, emulate them, build on the foundation which they have laid down, that
your nation may advance in progress and enlightenment.....
| Programme |
.....The programmes of the Government for the present year have already
been placed into force at the beginning of the fiscal year on 1st Hamle last.
They were studied and approved by the Parliament which completed its
session four months ago, and the budget required to implement them has
been enacted into law. It is the Government's intention that increased
publicity be given to its programmes in order that the public may know not
only their broad outlines but their details as well. A well-informed public
opinion is essential to the growth of political and social awareness. Only
he who is informed can comment intelligently on his nation's development
and only by such comment can errors be corrected and progress
stimulated.....
..... When, decades ago, We turned Ethiopia's face in the direction of
progress and modernity, We were secure in the knowledge that in so
doing We best served Our country and its people. We recognized then, as
We do today, that once embarked upon this course there could be no
turning back. Ethiopia was committed to the future and to whatever it
might bring. Man may, at the outset, control the direction which events
take, but once his choice is made, events soon escape his control and
history proceeds by its own force and momentum. When We
promulgated Ethiopia's first Constitution thirty years ago, over the
determined opposition of many who were close to Us, We realized, and it
was Our intention, that the political development of Our nation would be
accelerated. We knew that Ethiopia would soon outgrow the limited
confines of that document. At that time, Ethiopia's government was
simple and uncomplicated, but We knew that as Our nation emerged into
the modern world, its governmental framework would inevitably be
transformed into a complex and intricate structure. We were prepared for
and We sought to speed that transformation.
been placed into force at the beginning of the fiscal year on 1st Hamle last.
They were studied and approved by the Parliament which completed its
session four months ago, and the budget required to implement them has
been enacted into law. It is the Government's intention that increased
publicity be given to its programmes in order that the public may know not
only their broad outlines but their details as well. A well-informed public
opinion is essential to the growth of political and social awareness. Only
he who is informed can comment intelligently on his nation's development
and only by such comment can errors be corrected and progress
stimulated.....
..... When, decades ago, We turned Ethiopia's face in the direction of
progress and modernity, We were secure in the knowledge that in so
doing We best served Our country and its people. We recognized then, as
We do today, that once embarked upon this course there could be no
turning back. Ethiopia was committed to the future and to whatever it
might bring. Man may, at the outset, control the direction which events
take, but once his choice is made, events soon escape his control and
history proceeds by its own force and momentum. When We
promulgated Ethiopia's first Constitution thirty years ago, over the
determined opposition of many who were close to Us, We realized, and it
was Our intention, that the political development of Our nation would be
accelerated. We knew that Ethiopia would soon outgrow the limited
confines of that document. At that time, Ethiopia's government was
simple and uncomplicated, but We knew that as Our nation emerged into
the modern world, its governmental framework would inevitably be
transformed into a complex and intricate structure. We were prepared for
and We sought to speed that transformation.
| Modern System |
| Chapter VII |
| Domestic |