"What we say is important … because in most cases the mouth speaks of what the heart is full of." – Jim Beggs
- Estimated speaker
- Estimated members of the House of Representatives
- Dear people of our country, the guests
- Ladies and gentlemen,
On this historic day, as our country, Ethiopia makes a peaceful transfer of power according to its system of governance, I would like to express the unique pride that I feel to be in front of this august house and make this speech.
First of all, I would like to express my highest appreciation to His Excellency Hailemariam Desalegn for his exemplary step in voluntarily giving up and transferring his power to be part of the solution to the instability that has gripped the country in recent years; for believing that a new leadership is better suited to face these problems; to prioritize the country's dignity and the national interests of the country in a way that can set precedence for our continent.
Similarly, on behalf of all our staff, I would like to thank everyone who has played special roles to ensure that the transfer of state power occurs without any failure.
It is a historic day for our country. In our long history, we have been given so many opportunities at different times to draw a new political beginning. Many of them passed without us taking advantage of them. This transfer of power is another historic opportunity to start a new chapter. Therefore, it is important that we make appropriate use in the spirit of greater responsibility.
Ethiopia is a country of fertile wombs. It has produced many children who strive relentlessly for a great spirit of love for the country. Their children aspire strongly and fight relentlessly to return the country to its past glory; and to ensure that the peace and security of its people are protected and that prosperity is extended to all its citizens without discrimination.
Be it in the country or abroad, they shout, debate and litigate for the country's national unity and for its peace, for justice and equality, and also for its prosperity. This transfer of power is indicative of two main truths. On the one hand, it is indicative of the fact that we have laid the foundations for a durable and comprehensive constitutional order; on the other hand, it is indicative of the fact that we are building a system that walks in part with the political, economic and social conditions of the country and is governed by the will of the people, which makes the people their master and serves them accordingly .
The occasion is one in which we learn from our mistakes and compensate our country. Our main organization, the EPRDF, in maintaining its development trajectory firmly, has produced, over the years leading our country for more than two decades, fundamental changes in all sectors and built a constitutional and federal system.
We are in a national transformation that is seen around the world, on the one hand, with great attention, admiration and expectation; and on the other hand, with great concern.
As much as there are many achievements recorded, we also believe that there are shortcomings that need to be addressed quickly. As we learn from our mistakes and move forward, our primary focus must be to build a better country for all of us. The heart of the matter is to catapult our country to a higher level of development and move forward, ensuring that its unity is secured on a sustainable basis.
The wisdom that Ethiopia teaches us should not be overcome by temporary obstacles, but rather change the trials we face in desirable opportunities and accidents and achieve victory. Yesterday, our ancestors broke their bones in Metema, Adwa, Maichew and Karraa Marra and poured their precious blood to preserve and bequeath to us a country that was able to maintain its independence and pride.
We are lucky; we have a gorgeous country and a proud history. We know our beginning. We are a great people who have a history that has crossed many centuries. Our unit can be an example to the world. He defeated our enemies; protected our sovereignty and brought us to this day, becoming an example to others struggling for their independence.
Our identity is constructed in such a way that it is inseparable; is threaded in a way that can not be untangled. It is integrated by love. The Amhara sacrificed themselves in Karra Marra for the sovereignty of our country – becoming interspersed with their soil. The Tigrayans sacrificed themselves in Metema saying, they take my neck to my country and mix with their soil. The Oromo gave their breast in the mountains of Adwa to protect the sovereignty of the country and intermingled with the grounds of Adwa.
Somali, Sidama, Benishangul, Walaita, Gambella, Gurage, Afar, Silte, Kambata, Hadiya, Harari, and all other peoples of Ethiopia fell saying my death before Badme and interspersed with your soil.
As one Ethiopian father said, "While we are alive, we are human; when we pass, we become loners and, therefore, we become a country. " You will find that the precious bodies of all Ethiopians from every corner of the country become soil in another part of the country. We Ethiopians, while alive, are Ethiopians; when we die, we become Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is a country of us all and is our common home. In a country, there will inevitably be differences of opinion. Differences of opinion are not curses. When we are able to listen to each other despite our differences and engage in principled discourses, our differences return dividends in the form of blessings. In a struggle over ideas, they are solutions. There is strength in cooperation. When we come together, we become stronger. There is no problem that the unit can not solve. Because it builds nation. The feeling that "I'd rather die than see my idea not win" destroys families, let alone nations. What we have is an Ethiopia. Above all political thought, national unity is supreme. We need, however, to emphasize that national unity does not mean unity. Our unity must be one that embraces our diversity and highlights our multinational identity.
We Ethiopians need and we also deserve democracy. Democracy is not a strange idea for us. When it was strange to many peoples and countries, we lived under and governed by our democratic Gadaa system, becoming an example to the world. Today, for us, building democracy is an existential issue – than for any other country.
Democracy is unthinkable without freedom. Freedom is not a gift given to people by a government. Instead, a gift of nature for all emanating from our human dignity. We must respect all human and democratic rights, especially freedom of speech, assembly and organization, maintaining the constitution that emerged from this understanding of freedom. The rights of all our citizens to participate in all structures and at all levels in a democratic way must be fully realized.
What we all need to understand is that building democratic systems requires listening to each other. People have every right to criticize their servants, to elect and interrogate them. Government is a servant of the people. This is because our principle of government is popular sovereignty. In a democratic system, the first and last principle must be to diverge opinions by listening to each other. Realizing that Ethiopia belongs to all of us, which is our common property, we will continue steadfastly and firmly with our efforts to build a democratic system in which the voices of all Ethiopians are heard and everyone is allowed to participate equitably.
In a democratic system, the government allows citizens to express their ideas freely, without fear. Citizens' right to free movement can not be built without the leadership, support and openness of government. Therefore, the government will work with great determination so that the free and peaceful movement of citizens is respected (unobstructed).
In the same vein, when citizens express their ideas, it has to be peaceful. Because asking for one's own democratic rights and violating the rights of others are self-contradictory. This also prevents the growth of democracy. The government must respect the law. It is also your obligation to ensure that the law is respected. Being patient and reserved is also your obligation. When government patience is lacking, it harms democracy.
In both senses, the democracy we long for can not become a reality. In democratic government, the supremacy of the law must be established. One wisdom we need not forget in trying to assert the supremacy of the law is that our people are not simply looking for the laws of presence but also the realization of justice. Law enforcement does not have to be divorced from justice. What our people are seeking is not a dry law, but a system of laws conceived within justice, which represents justice. What people are looking for are neutral and non-partisan law enforcement agents and those who zealously guard the rights of citizens.
The law must govern us evenly. When this happens, the law protects for all of us the dignity that emanates from our humanity. Understanding this truth, we will fill the gap in the administration of justice by making the necessary reforms (improvements) for democracy to flourish in our country; for freedom and justice to reign; so that the supremacy of the law becomes a reality.
For peace, the foundation is justice. Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is an inviolable unity built upon our common understandings. Peace is our trust in each other. Peace is our common journey that has continued through our union in union. Peace is our way and our goal that allows us to resolve disagreements and conflicts in a civilized way.
- Estimated speaker
- Estimated members of the House of Representatives
- Ladies and gentlemen,
We meet at a time when the Horn of Africa is plagued by many crises and where many forces with different interests and goals are fighting and where there are many complex tangles. At the same time, it is a region where there are many people interconnected with culture, language and long history.
Regarding our external relations: Our country is the basis of pan-Africanism, the founder and seat of the African Union, the founder of many leading international organizations, and a country that plays a remarkable role in regional, continental and global affairs. This our policy built on common interest and common benefit, we will strengthen and continue with it. With our African brothers in general and our neighbors in particular, we will be together in times of hardship as well as times of happiness.
With the government of Eritrea, we want from the bottom of our hearts that the disagreement that has reigned for years will come to an end. We would also fulfill our responsibility. While expressing our readiness to resolve our differences through dialogue, I take this opportunity to appeal to the Eritrean government to take a similar position not only for the common interest but also for the common blood relations between the peoples of the two countries .
- Estimated speaker
- Estimated members of the House of Representatives
- Ladies and gentlemen,
Corruption is one of the main reasons that galvanized the grievances of our people in recent years. We have learned that it is impossible to combat corruption simply by establishing anticorruption institutions. I politely ask all of us to do all we can to ensure that Ethiopia does not become a country where one works hard and the other simply snatches it.
It is impossible for a people and a country that are busy taking out a wealth that was created yesterday from another and establishing scores to move on. In the situation where there is a bigger cake where everyone can work and become prosperous, Ethiopia will not become one in which one thinks, the more one is forced to steal another. Instead, we will focus on using the unique opportunities presented to us by circumstances, coordinating our national capacity and overcoming our scarcity and scarcity mentality. The famous leader of the Indian freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi, once said: "The world has enough resources for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed." In the new path we have just mapped, we will work tirelessly on everyone the days. combat theft, waste of wealth and combat organized corruption in a way that allows all our peoples to participate.
Due to the rapid growth our country has achieved in recent years, our successes in alleviating poverty; in the construction of basic infrastructure; in the development of human and related resources are visible to all. In this regard, the government has taken political and practical measures to contain price inflation; stabilize the foreign exchange market; maintain the health of the financial sector; broadening the reach and access of the necessary financial services to the economy; generate foreign currency; encourage savings and investment; create job opportunities; increase people's per capita income, and reduce extreme poverty.
At the same time, in recent years, there have been events and challenges that are trying to our economic growth and macroeconomic stability. Among these problems, the main ones are the fact that our foreign trade did not grow as much as we would like and, from this, the mismatch between demand and supply of foreign exchange; price inflation; increase in subsistence expenses; the weight of external debt and the increase in the gap between domestic saving and investment.
While progress in the agricultural sector is encouraging, we can not sufficiently support this sector with the necessary technology, and as a result, we can not collect the dividends we should get from it as a country.
As a great country and people, in order to reach the peak of the successes we want and also solve the problems we have, we believe that the key solution lies in education and only in education.
Although the government is aware of the education sector and works hard, especially with regard to ensuring the quality of education, we note that we have a lot of work to do and many activities will be carried out.
While expanding education is among the praiseworthy accomplishments of our government, as long as coverage and educational attainment are not supported with quality, our tireless efforts will not bear the fruit we desire. Thus, from basic education to institutions of higher education, the government redoubles its efforts with absolute determination so that all our centers of knowledge focus on quality. Maximum efforts will be made to ensure that especially graduates of our higher education institutions and technical and vocational colleges gain knowledge that is comparable to their gift of skills.
To address these and many more, after an assessment of the two-year performance of our Growth and Transformation Plan, we will make the necessary policy decisions and produce rapid economic growth.
Dear young people of our country
Ethiopia is yours. The future is above all yours. Even now, you also have to take the leading role in building the country. Youth issues are not only of economic and equitable benefit, we believe they are also about justice and democracy. With regard to ensuring equitable benefits to all members of society, their social justice and political involvement, there were gaps. Even if our country has produced good economic growth results, it has not been enough to meet the demands of young people who change both in form and content.
We realize that this has led to grievances felt by our people. We also realize that, without benefiting young people and without their active participation, the country can not go anywhere. We will do everything in our power to ensure that Ethiopia becomes a country that gives hope to young people, rather than one that sucks their hope. Over the next few years, we will work not only to create employment opportunities for young people, but also to create countless young entrepreneurs. The elaborate and discriminatory bureaucratic mentality and obstacles that stand as obstacles to this goal will be removed and the government will create an environment conducive to a just social and economic order. One truth we must never forget, however, is that it is youth itself, through its efforts and creativity, that can create a better future for itself and for the country.
Under many difficult difficulties and difficult conditions, you built Ethiopia; you made history; generations in shape; and brought us to this day. In your struggles, you have enormous sacrifices so that we have a better country. Your fight is a fair fight. Your fight is a worthy and respectable fight. Your struggle is our struggle. Even if the government has taken steps to ensure that benefits are accumulating for women and recognizing their full contribution to the progress of our country, we believe that what we have done is far behind in comparison with what has not been done.
So in the future I hope that the women of our country will use the talents that nature has blessed to continue to play a positive role in our country's growth and prosperity and the success of our policy. Our national identity is meaningless without the participation of Ethiopian women. By denying due recognition to the women who built our country, served our country and helped it to its feet, it is impossible to establish the national rebirth. Our government's position on women's rights and their equality is not unfavorable to them, but to our common good. The government realizes that a nation that neglects and marginalizes half of its population can not have a full and complete body and can not move on. Consequently, our government must strive with resolute dedication to accelerate its efforts to improve the participation of all women and their benefits.
- Estimated speaker
- Estimated members of the House of Representatives
- Dear people of our country
- Dear Guests
- Ladies and gentlemen,
Our problems are many and do not allow us any rest. The lack of a developed democratic culture, entrenched poverty, organized corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency, and lack of good governance have worsened. It has created a complex and challenging challenge for us. It is unfortunate that in recent years many members of our society have been uprooted from their places of residence. They were exposed to displacement and severe loss of lives and properties. Citizens' rights to move freely across the country and earn a living must be respected. Thus, we will strive to prevent such improper practices and to ensure that such actions are never repeated again. Much less facing them divided, our problems require years of work, even working together in love and unison.
So to make up for lost times and be able to move forward, we will strive to move forward with a new spirit. All our problems can not be solved in a single day. However, we can speed up the work as we begin to build a better country for all. There is a strong initiative on the part of the government to build a better country. But we all have responsibilities. Instead of seeing ourselves as strangers and seeing ourselves indifferent as members of different countries, we must unite and fight as true owners of the country. If we do, our failures and triumphs will be shared. In the remaining years of the second Growth and Transformation Plan, we will strive to implement continuous development programs quickly and expeditiously. I appeal to everyone with great responsibility to help offset the adverse economic and social impact caused by the political instability of recent years.
- Estimated speaker
- Estimated members of the House of Representatives
- Ladies and gentlemen,
- My Ethiopian compatriots living abroad
Every Ethiopian who goes abroad, whether for work or study, travels carrying Ethiopia with them. That is why it is said, "You can take an Ethiopian from Ethiopia, but you can not take Ethiopia away from the heart of an Ethiopian." Because of your hard work, your excellence and the deeply rooted sense of decency of your country, to follow it wherever you go, you are ambassadors of Ethiopia and your core values. Sometimes, while we live in a country that is less endowed with natural and historical resources than Ethiopia but is very developed, it is inevitable that you will feel sorry for your country. This repentance is in all of us. It is inevitable that you will regret to see our efforts to utilize the country's resources to the fullest. And you should be sorry. To change this condition, because we have a country that is not just enough for all of us, but one that requires the contributions of all of us, for those who want to bring their knowledge and experiences and return to their country and develop their country. , we will welcome you with open arms. For those of you who have made your home in other countries, our government will continue with unreserved efforts to facilitate your active participation in your country's affairs and its transformation in any way you can.
- Dear our development partners
Those of you who have helped our efforts so far in the areas of peace and development, we realize that you are close friends of our country. I am hopeful that you will continue to accompany us in the renewed efforts we are making to ensure the peace and development of our country.
The next time in Ethiopia will be a time of love and forgiveness. We want our country to be justice, peace and freedom and where its citizens are intertwined with the unbreakable chord of humanity and fraternity. This dream will only come true if we wake up from our sleep and work diligently. It is good to have high hopes and desires. However, our hopes and desires are not enough on our own. It is our duty to work hard, to be diligent, and to wage a relentless struggle.
What we need to do our first and foremost task is and where our struggle should focus is on ourselves. We have to cleanse our thoughts of hatred; different political views and religion are our blessings, we have to lead them with love. Even if there is disagreement arising from our differences, we must stand side by side with justice instead of injustice and correct our moral lens. Justice should be our main principle; love and respect for all human beings must be our moral compass. This is our eternal work that can not be completed and a work that must always be done. It is our attribution throughout life. To bring our country to the present stage, past generations have paid sacrifices.
Many were also martyred to give birth to our new democratic order. To develop our youthful democracy, it is not necessary for us to pay for any other life and bodily sacrifices. In recent years, both as a nation of citizens and as a state, we have suffered great damage because of deficiencies that are aggravated by the lack of a mature democratic system. The lives of many of our citizens have been disrupted and many private and public properties have been destroyed. That, we should all have avoided and stopped.
I ask for heartfelt forgiveness from the many advocates of freedom, justice, and politicians, and from the many young people seeking change whose lives were cut short before they could enjoy and enjoy themselves during the early days of their lives and the many individuals and families who were exposed to psychological and bodily traumas during the last years. Likewise, I would like to express my highest admiration and respect for the members of the security forces whose lives have been lost to maintain peace and fulfillment of duty in the service of their constitutional responsibility. I would like to take this opportunity to promise our people that we will come up with solutions to the problems that have led to these crises and for our people.
For all Ethiopian and Ethiopian descendants living in and out of the country, living as refugees / exiles,
I call upon all of us to forgive one another from our hearts; close the chapters yesterday and move forward to the bright near future through the national consensus.
- Dear leaders of the opposition parties,
From this day on, we will look at the political parties outside the EPRDF as competitors rather than enemies (opponents); his supporters as brothers and sisters who have alternative ideas and who love their country, and as a collection of citizens. Therefore, because there is an absolute desire on the part of the government to allow the opposition parties to operate freely and to create a conducive and fair and level playing field, we call those of you who are fighting for peace and justice in various ways, for lack of political vision, for the sake of the country, and for the principle of giving and receiving, political thoughts and lines that undermine our unity and put our common good in danger and lose our national interests and benefits, and to assist our efforts to create a political culture.
To our farmers, those who live from livestock, those involved in various occupations, to the security forces of our country, intellectuals, businessmen, urban dwellers, as well as those who live in the countryside, people of all trades, country, Muslims, Christians, Waaqefattas and all other compatriots, to nations, nationalities and peoples living from north to south and from east to west,
Let us all strive to develop a mature democracy. We will diligently work to lift our country from the depth of poverty. Let's eliminate racism and discord in our country. Let's create an educated citizen who discusses ideas based on reason.
This day marks the 7th anniversary of the inauguration of our Grand Renaissance Dam, our national pride. The union and union that was observed in the construction of this dam showed us that we can overcome the many problems that are facing our country. We will cling to this spirit after the completion of the dam and persevere until we can establish a new threshold for the prosperity of our country.
Finally, in a way that is not accustomed to this house, I would like to thank some bodies. First of all, I would like to thank you with special honor and love for my organization and the people of my country who elected me to this high office and entrusted me with this responsibility. Secondly, I politely ask you to thank an Ethiopian mother who, while I was still a 7-year-old boy, knew that one day I would stand before you and planted that distant, deep and elaborately sophisticated vision in me, which created me and brought me to fruition.
My mother is numbered among the many gentle, innocent and hardworking Ethiopian mothers. She did not have much material wealth and worldly knowledge. In thanking my mother, I think it is equivalent to extending myself thanks to all the Ethiopian mothers. Even though my beloved mother is not with us today, may my thanks and love reach her eternal resting place. I want to honor you with thank you. Recognizing the role of other Ethiopian mothers in shaping the vision of their children for tomorrow, for the good fruits they will reap tomorrow, I want to emphasize that the seed they plant today is the main investment. I extend my sincere love, admiration and gratitude, as well as honor and dignity for their sacrifices. Since our children are the main protagonists in ensuring that the rebirth of this country is guaranteed, I urge you to continue to play your maternal role with great responsibility. Third, for a man's success, the spouse's contribution is worth two-thirds. One is for theirs and another for their husbands. The third includes your children. Sometimes his achievements and achievements transcend this. My beloved wife, Zenash Tayachew, supported me powerfully by inheriting my mother's vision and becoming a substitute for my mother. I'd like to thank her a lot.
Finally, were it not for my close comrades in the struggle, who became a source of energy during times of weakness and power during the good times, without these friends and brothers, I would not have stood before you today. To all my dear companions and friends, thank you from the heart.
May Ethiopia gain greatness through the efforts of its children, be respected in the world, become prosperous and alive forever. May God bless Ethiopia and its peoples!
Photo Credit: Plus TV Africa
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