A Statement from the Crown Council of Ethiopia by its President, His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie
The security, stability, and prosperity of much of Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia is presently being challenged, almost as never before, by changes occurring around the world. We must all look beyond the immediate to do what is right for our societies and for the future of them through the next phase of history. And we must mourn for the recent losses of innocent lives in these conflicts which defy historical reason. Our hearts go to the grieving families.
The Crown Council of Ethiopia is not a political entity; nor does it wish to shape the will of the people. It cannot, and would not, venture interference in the governance of Ethiopia, nor of those societies around the world which are home to so many who value the historical role of Ethiopia and have been inspired by the millennia of symbolism of the Solomonic Crown.
But neither would the Crown wish to be seen to be silent out of lack of care for those who look to it as a symbol of hope, unity, and compassion and as repository of all our ethical values.
We have been approached for comment on the great upheavals which the Government has inherited inside Ethiopia, but we can only urge our People to remember the humanity of their Fellow Ethiopians. Unity, courage, and inspiration can solve many things, and we are engaged with you, as we have been these past five decades or so of hardship. We will never abandon the Ethiopian People: Not any one of them, regardless of language, origins, or beliefs.
We have been approached to comment on forthcoming elections in the Caribbean, but we can only urge those there who look to the Solomonic Crown for guidance to act with calmness, in good conscience, and with a will to put the interests of their nation ahead of petty issues and short-term gratification. Like the People of Ethiopia, so many of you in the Caribbean have suffered the indignity of seeing society transform through transactional politics. But voters, too, have their part to play. You must play it. It is more than voting; it lies in preserving dignity.
The Caribbean can be a beacon of democracy. So, too, can Ethiopia. Nobility of spirit can be achieved by us all, and it can transform our societies. Together we can be a beacon of tolerance, and that will lead to true prosperity and a better world.
God Bless Ethiopia, and God Bless our Brothers and Sisters in the Caribbean and around the World. His late Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, whom God has blessed, bound Ethiopia and the Caribbean — and the Americas — together. Let us honor him with Peace.
