1967
"Today, on the occasion of the
celebration of the thirty seventh anniversary of Our coronation as
Emperor of Ethiopia, we once more stand in this Parliament building to
assess the events of the past year and to appraise the future of the
Ethiopian nation. today, We once again give thanks to Almighty God for
the protection which He has afforded to the Ethiopian state and for
the gifts which He has bestowed upon the Ethiopian people.
"This past year has been a highly auspicious one for Ethiopia.
You Parliamentarians have been engaged in the examination of a
legislative program which has required the extension of the session
far beyond its usual date of adjournment. You are to be congratulated
for the dedication which you have brought to your work here and for
the results which you have achieved. As you have examined and studied
in depth the draft laws placed before the Senate and Chamber of
Deputies, each of you has learned anew of the complexity of modern
life, of the multiple problems which must be faced and overcome the
business of governing, of the expertise ns knowledge which must be
developed before legislative proposals can even be formulated or
programmes for their implementation outlined. We have often repeated
that the process of education is life-long and never-ending; if you
have properly and fully discharged your duties and responsibilities
during the past year, you have come to a new awareness of the truth of
these words.
"During Our reign, We have labored increasingly to provide the
essential foundation for the future growth and development of the
nation. the money spent and the energy invested in this process has
been enormous, but during these years Ethiopia has undergone a vast
and drastic transformation. Today, the nation stands on the verge of
an unprecedented surge of activity and expansion in all areas of her
national life."
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Step
by Step
"The
standard of living enjoyed in the highly developed nations of the
world was not achieved overnight, nor was it won easily nor without
immense toil and sacrifice, Economic and social growth is a laborious
and slow process. Development is the accumulated result of intensive long-term
efforts. it is not enough that a nation desire development and
economic maturity, any more than a child, in wishing, becomes a man.
Time is required, and experience, and trial and error. The
processes and requirements of nature cannot be ignored of
evaded. The child must first crawl, then walk, before it can run. So,
also, must a nation progress through the successive stages of growth
before the stage is reached where rapid and ever-accelerating
development is possible.
"The advancement of a nation, in addition, demands certain
essential preconditions: political stability; a coherent, rational and
efficient structure of government; and peace, both internally, within
the nation, and externally with her neighbors.
"Happily, Ethiopia has been blessed with these during the past
two and a half decades, and they have been progressively strengthened
over years. In 1955, We promulgated Our Revised Constitution to
reflect and secure the advances in political maturity achieved since
We granted Ethiopia's first written Constitution twenty-five years
earlier. Only eighteen months ago, We announced new and far-reaching
political reforms as the culmination of a period of development and
maturation of government, and as the prelude to further growth along
these lines. the precious gift of peace has been ours for the past
quarter century. For all of this, We give thanks to Almighty
God."
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People's
Changed Outlook
"The outlook and attitudes of Our people have undergone
drastic changes during these year. The nation has come to modernity
and maturity. Our people have been educated, not so much by formal,
classroom instruction, but as a consequence of an increasingly broad
and general exposure of life in the twentieth century and to the world
around them, Ethiopia has awakened. Ethiopians now demand more for
themselves that their fathers possessed. They have acquired the desire
to improve their lot and that of their children. They are willing an
anxious to change.
"This is what We have labored throughout Our lifetime to
accomplish: to bring Our people to the point of awareness of the
demands of modern life, to arouse in them the ambition to progress, to
stimulate their latent desire for advancement and improvement.
"This has now been achieved, and with the natural resources with
which Almighty God has endowed Our nation, the path to development has
been cleared and its vistas lie before us.
"The revolutionary changes which have occurred in Ethiopian
attitudes have manifested themselves in numerous ways. Some have
become apparent through programs initiated and fostered by Our
Government. Others have sprung spontaneously from the people
themselves. Whatever their source, they constitute a new and vital
approach to life, and they testify to the revived energy and vigor
which characterize the Ethiopian nation today.
"We may cite, as one example, the growth of co-operatives within
Ethiopia. the concept of co-operation is not new to the nation; the
ikub and the idir, have long formed part of Ethiopia's
traditional and customary system. But these are largely passive and
protective in nature, designed to marshal the energies of the
community in time of emergency and need. the philosophy of the modern
co-operative, while drawing on the spirit of the ikub and idir,
is aggressive and dynamic rather than defensive and static. It
embodies and demands a collective willingness to participate in new
forms of social and economic activity.
"The co-operative movement has flourished in both the developed and
the developing nations, but particularly in countries with a large
agricultural base. There is no reason why co-operatives should not
succeed in Ethiopia, Although the basic legislation was enacted only a
little over a year ago, more than a score of co-operatives have
already been organized, and more are sure to follow. We look forward
eagerly to the contribution which they will make to Ethiopia's
economy.
"The development of the labor movement within Ethiopia offers a
second example of the new spirit which today marks the nation.
Unionization requires sound and organized deliberation and action by
men who may have neither family, nor religion, nor tribe, nor
neighborhood in common, but who have, notwithstanding, been able to
come together, to identify their common interests, and to agree upon
effective programs to advance those interests. this is the new
attitude which must be encouraged: the communal as opposed to the
individual approach, the spirit of working together that all may
benefit.
"We do not wish to overemphasize the importance of the labor
movement as such to Ethiopia; the total product of the 55,000 union
members represents only a small portion of the total production of all
of the nation's workers. Rather, We wish to stress the motivation
which underlies and pervades the movement. Further, We must emphasize
that with the growth in industrialization, power is passing into the
hands of employers and employees alike, which demands much of them in
terms of knowledge, judgment and goodwill. Both employers and
employees must respond to the challenge and the opportunity to act for
the good not of the few but the many. there is no room for
irresponsible action. There is no room for heedless or reckless
decisions. there is no room for lawlessness or defiance of constituted
authority. Employers and employees are not enemies or antagonists, but
partners. The well-being of the one depends very largely upon the
well-being of the other. Capital and labor must work together in
harmony if the large potential which their joint efforts represent is
to be realized."
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Self-Help
"The third, and perhaps the most impressive
instance of the desire and willingness of Our people to progress and
change, is found in the local self-help campaigns which have spread so
rapidly across the face of the nation. the drive to local self-help
programs has sprung from the people themselves as flourishes because
of local initiative, imagination and effort. It is a vivid and
encouraging testimony to the vitality of the Ethiopian people. Roads
have been built, schools and public buildings have been constructed,
public health facilities have been undertaken and fulfilled with funds
locally collected and locally administered.
"As a complement to this manifestation of the will and spirit of
the Ethiopian people at the lowest communal unit, Our Government
embarked, several years ago, on the study and later the gradual
implementation of a system of local self-government, designed to bring
into ever more effective focus the local energies and resources thus
displayed. the local awraja revenue legislation, so essential
to the full implementation of this program, is pending before you, and
We urge that the highest priority be accorded to this vital law."
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Planning
"In the modern world, no nation, and
certainly no nation which is classified among the less-developed, can
hope to bring to its people the standard of living and material
prosperity which it seeks for them unless its total resources are
enlisted in the struggle. surely Ethiopia's most valuable resources
are her people and the intelligence, energy, devotion and ambition
which they constitute and represent. It is to them that we must look
for the attainment of the goals which we seek.
"Even assuming,
however, that the will and the desire exist, there remains the
immensely difficult and complex task of organizing the nation's
energies and resources and directing them in a well-conceived and
fully integrated fashion to the achieving of carefully studied and
clearly defined ends.
"In Ethiopia, increased emphasis is currently being given to the
concept and function of planning. Planning as such in not new to
Ethiopia, Our nation passed through the years of the First and Second
Five-Year Plans with creditable success. Now, however, even greater
efforts are being made to mobilize the strength of the nation and lend
fresh direction and impetus to its economic activity.
"The creation of the Ministry of Planning and Development, a
little over a year and a half ago, marked the first in a series of new
measures in this area. This Ministry has gathered together a group of
highly skilled experts who are preparing Ethiopia's Third Five-Year
Plan. This is certainly the most significant attempt thus far made to
organize the nation's economic and financial activities along
development lines.
"Let us not, however, be misled. the preparation of an economic
plan is only half the task, and perhaps not even that. The real test
comes in the implementation, and here even the best of plans can be subverted
and destroyed. Once and overall economic plan is adopted, the nation's
budget must be tailored to the implementation of the plan. Individual
development projects must be fitted into the priorities established in
the plan. Haphazard and ill-coordinated economic activity must be
avoided at all costs. Investment must be controlled and directed as
the plan dictates. and, most important, all of this must be
accomplished in a coordinated and efficient fashion. the
responsibility for the success of the plan does not rest upon any
single ministry or department; it is a collective responsibility,
shared by all development ministries concerned with economic and
social development - indeed, by all departments and officials of the
government, whatever their concern, as well as this Parliament
itself."
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Economic Development
"Ethiopia's achievements during the past year are in themselves proof
that Our Government's past efforts in directing the course of
development have borne fruit. Only a few years ago, Ethiopia disposed
of but a handful of university graduates. Today, the enrolment of the
Haile Selassie I University alone numbers over one thousand five
hundred students. The numbers of trained Ethiopian engineers, lawyers,
doctors and other professional men and women are multiplied with each
graduation. The nation's secondary schools have expanded. And for
those for whom formal education is not possible, the National Literacy
Campaign, a self-help program of the highest order, has been
innovated. Surely this must be a source of gratification for us all.
"Likewise, in public health, further strides have been made.
Increased emphasis has been laid on curative but especially on
preventive medicine. the vast malaria eradication program is now underway.
the number of available hospital beds has multiplied, as has the
number of rural health centers and dresser stations.
"In 1959 alone, industrial production in Ethiopia increased over
15%. Over sixty million Ethiopian dollars was invested in industrial projects,
and several thousand additional workers found employment in the
manufacturing industry alone.
"In transportation, new roads have been constructed.
Telecommunication facilities have expanded. Post Office services have
been increased and improved. Rail, air and marine services have continued
to grow, as they have annually for many years past.
"These
programs do not stand in splendid isolation; they are all closely
interrelated and interconnected. As Ethiopia's road network
grows, new areas are opened for the introduction of social services;
trade is generated; travel is stimulated; and the people are exposed
to the blessings-and the dangers-of modern life. Development is by its
very nature dynamic; it generates its own internal momentum, as the
chain-reaction of growth is released.
"Special mention must be made of a
new awraja development program which is being undertaken by Our
government with the help of bilateral and multilateral assistance in
selected areas of the country. In the pilot areas chosen, a massive,
broad-spectrum attack is being made in which the efforts of all
development agencies and ministries are being coordinated in a
concerted effort to break through and overcome the many obstacles to
growth. the assistance of the local population is similarly being organized
to achieve the greatest possible progress in the largest number of
fields of development in the shortest period of time. If these pilot
programs are successful, as We believe they will be, a viable pattern
for development will have been established which can be emulated and
applied throughout the entire countryside.
"We must also refer to the land reform programs which are being
drawn up in the newly-established Ministry of Land Reform and
Administration. Land reforms, so vital to the nation's future, also
pose problems of great complexity and immense difficulty. A vast amount
of preliminary research and study must be undertaken before effective
proposals in the area of land administration can be formulated, and
this work is now fully underway. We and Our Government are committed
to this effort."
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To Live In Peace
"Ethiopia's foreign policy remains
constant, as it has for years: to strengthen the nation's security; to
live in peace with her neighbors; to strengthen the United Nations and
the Organization of African Unity; to facilitate the peaceful
settlement of disputes; to assure freedom for all irrespective of
race, creed or color. These are the standards by which Our nation
lives.
"During the past year, we have become increasingly concerned at
the threats posed to world peace. the Vietnam conflict not only
continues but military efforts have escalated, with ever higher tolls
in human lives and destruction exacted as the price. The Middle East
crisis erupted into a violent and bloody conflagration, with the
ever-present danger of involvement by the great powers. Ethiopia, as a
member of the Security Council, the supreme organ of the United
Nations charged with the duty of preserving world peace, has spared no
effort in the search for just and permanent solutions to both of these
conflicts. The fact that no improvement has been realized in either
area is a matter of the gravest concern to Us.
In Africa, We have
been saddened by the fratricidal civil war being waged in Nigeria
which has cost so much in both human and material terms. Because of
the concern felt by all Africans at this situation, the Summit
Conference of the O.A.U., at the recent meeting in Kinshasa, appointed
a Special Commission to assist the Nigerian Federal Government in its
efforts to maintain the security and integrity of that nation, and the
Commission is seized of the problems confronting it. The Congo has
sustained a new but happily repelled threat to its sovereignty, and
Ethiopia is proud to have participated in the efforts to assure the
continued existence of the Congo as an independent state through the
prevision of military assistance to that nation. The threat posed by
the foreign mercenaries who have disturbed the peace of this
sister African state must, once and for all, be rooted out and
eradicated.
"It is a matter of bitter disappointment to Us, as it must be to
all Africans, that in Rhodesia, in South Africa, in Mozambique, Angola
and Portuguese Guinea racist regimes continue to oppress our brothers
and deny to them the basic human rights to which they are entitled as
free men. New ways must be found and new techniques must be devised to
bring these governments to their knees, if not to their senses. The
alternative is the use of force, and however abhorrent this course may
be, Ethiopia stands ready to act if this be required."
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Good Neighbor Relations
"On a happier note, during the past year Ethiopia's relations with the
Sudan and Somalia have been considerably improved, following direct
discussions held with the leaders of these nations, and We are
gratified that the governments of these two sister African neighbors
are disposed to live in peace and harmony with us. We hope the basis
for a permanent reconciliation between Ethiopia and these states has
been laid. As We have so often stated in the past, Ethiopia seeks no
territory belonging to the others. Ethiopia has no wish to engage in
futile propaganda polemics. Ethiopia desires only to live in Tranquility
with her neighbors and to co-operate closely with them for the
peaceful development of our respective territories and peoples.
"Happily, Ethiopia's traditionally excellent relations with
Kenya, our neighbor to the south, remain unimpaired-indeed, are yearly
strengthened. As clear evidence of the spirit of brotherhood and friendship
existing between Ethiopia and Kenya, We welcome in the gathering today
Kenya's beloved President and Our close friend, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
President Kenyatta has himself fought and suffered in the cause of h
is people and the whole African continent, and We are proud to have
him with Us here."
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African Unity
"The past twelve months have also witnessed
a further steady increase in the influence and effectiveness of
Africa's chosen instrument, the Organization of African Unity. The
problems with which the Organization is grappling today are no less
significant then they were four years ago; the difference lies in the
maturity and realism with which they are approached. The measure of
the success of the Organization rests not only in its ability to
concentrate African opinion and influence upon the crises which have
sporadically flared up on this continent, but, equally, in the
progress which is painstakingly being made in the working out of the
framework of closer and more effective co-operation in the working of
Africa's day-to-day economic and social life.
"During the year ahead, a number of new legislative proposals
designed to advance Ethiopia along the path of progress will be laid
before you. We urge you to bring to them the same dedication and
devotion which has characterized your work during the session just
past. Your efforts and labors complement those of Our Government, and
the nation expects hat you will discharge your duties and
responsibilities to the full measure of your abilities. May almighty
God watch over and guide you in the coming year."
