Speech on Inaction by Haile Selassie I
Throughout
history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the
indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of
justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph.
The glorious
pages of human history have been written only in those moments when men have been
able to act in concert to prevent impending tragedies. By the actions you take
you can also illuminate the pages of history. When you make man rich in the honors
of this world and appoint him above other creatures, that it be known that it
is not for his merit but only through your benevolence and generosity, Since no
creature created in Your image and to Your pattern gives up hope that
everything he begs of You will be done for him until the day you sever his soul
from his body, we beseech You that Ethiopia should not remain with her freedom
extinct and prostrate under an alien ruler, so that the mouth of her people be
silenced for fear of a foreign governor, but rather, that You will save them by
Your deeds of kindness lest they remain with their hearts oppressed through
being deprived of their own Ethiopian ruler who was leading them towards civilization under a
light yoke and with gladness.
O Lord, abode of exiles, light of the blind,
truth and justice are Your thrones. Receive us who have been exiled for our
freedom's sake, who have had to leave our country on account of violent
assault, In praying to You thus, it is not for our righteousness but for Your
great mercies.
Technical and
scientific advances have combined to raise mankind to a level of material
achievement never before realized. A house built on granite and strong
foundations, not even the onslaught of pouring rain, gushing torrents and
strong winds will be able to pull down.
Some people have
written the story of my life representing as truth what in fact derives from ignorance,
error or envy; but they cannot shake the truth from its place, even if they
attempt to make others believe it. Sports being the symbol of fraternity and
team work there can be no doubt of its utility or of the sound virtues which it
develops. Unemployment is harmful - it harms and damages the unemployed
himself, his nation and his country. Employers should strive to create more
jobs.
Workers should
attend to their work with diligence and vigor. These twin attributes are the cornerstones
for progress. I know of the love which the Jamaican people entertain for the
people of Ethiopia and the welcome which you have given me this day is evidence
of it. I know that the Jamaican people were very sympathetic when Ethiopia was
occupied during the fascist regime. During that time, Jamaicans as well as
others who had African blood supported the Ethiopian Liberation Movement. And
now that we are free we must assume the responsibility to work for the greater
unity of all peoples of African origin.
It is quite true
that a country can achieve material progress alone. However, we know from the experiences
of the past that international cooperation tends to quicken the pace for
progress of individual countries. This is again another area for us to think
about and see in what way we can further expand the relations of individual countries. This
is again another area for us to think about and see in what way we can further
expand the relations of the people of Jamaica and Ethiopia.
From another
fundamental point of view, this is precisely why the O.A.U. has been
established. It is because the African continent, which comprises more than 250
million people, if it were to remain divided among more than 30 states, their
individual voices would not carry weight. It is precisely why, since there is
an identity of interest, we have attempted to include Jamaica.
Also, so that we
can carry this weight in the councils of nations, and also through the process
of cooperation and expanded economic relations we might be in a position to
quicken the pace of development of the individual member countries of the
O.A.U.
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