Document:Steven Spell installation speech
His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Steven Spell, KP, GCVO, GCRI, CIMM, OIM, KCMG, ID on the Occasion of His Installation as the Eighth Governor-General of Ibagli
Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Senators, members of the House of Commons, distinguished guests, my fellow Ibaglians:
As the newly-installed representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, the Queen of Ibagli, I wish to express to you the great sense of pride I feel in being appointed to this great office. Ibagli is, in my eyes, the greatest country in the world, and to be appointed to represent our head of state is indeed a great and signal honour. Ibagli shines in the family of nations not because of any one particular characteristic, but because of our many and varied virtues.
Ibaglians are fortunate to enjoy freedom, not only because they are merely written on paper, but also because Ibagli has historically been a nation where the people would have it no other way. When an Ibaglian steps onto the shores of some repressed land where he may not have the right to say or do what he pleases, the best course of action for that Ibaglian would be to turn around and leave that country, for surely he would speak out against the injustice of that situation, never having seen such a situation at home, and knowing that humanity and freedom should be synonymous.
Ibaglians know that they are all equal under the law, not only because equality is enshrined on paper, but because it is seen in Ibagli as the only way to treat people. No matter what race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation an Ibaglian is, he knows that he will always be treated equally, as he is an Ibaglian, a characteristic which breaks down the walls that divide us, and which bonds us to each other. Ibagli has always been at the forefront of promoting equality at home and abroad, and I sincerely hope that that is the case forever.
Ibaglians are fortunate to be able to choose their government in free and fair elections, once again not only because that right is written in the Constitution, but because Ibaglians always have had and always will have a strong democratic tradition. We in Ibagli are fortunate not to live under the rule of a despot, and those who have tried to force the terrible shackles of absolutism on us have been utterly unsuccessful, and I suspect that they always will be.
These virtues are undoubtedly linked to Ibagli and her people, and they are what set us apart from the rest of the world. However, we must remember not to take these virtues for granted, for when we take them for granted, they are so very easily taken away.
Ibagli would be nothing without her people, people who know the value of service to others, not for profit, fame, or recognition, but to do things because they are the right things to do. My heart is always warmed by the story of the Haphonia man who, though he was often very busy, always found time to open his home to the needy. It is quite likely that he would not have become known to us were he not the Governor-General at the time. Sir Henry LeVeque would not talk about his community efforts to others. Perhaps he didn't think of it as anything worth mentioning, as working for others came naturally to him. It was, however, his noblest cause in life, and it was representative of the humanitarian spirit of all Ibaglians.
As Governor-General, I will work to uphold the oath which I have just taken, I will work to make sure that those virtues that make Ibagli great among the nations are never eroded, and I will work to keep strong the commitment of Ibaglians to public service.
Though the situation which caused my appointment to become necessary was unfortunate and regrettable, we must now look forward to a new beginning, for without hope, there is no future.
That statement leads me to an oft-repeated cliché: "The children are the future." As Governor-General, I will work to ensure that our children are better prepared for their lives, which, as a result of our fine healthcare system, are likely to become one of the longest-lived generations ever. Some of the most overlooked areas in education are civics and history. Without educating our children in these areas, we cannot expect Ibagli to remain at the forefront of our progressive new world. We should not expect our children to be inspired to take charge in a country they know little about. We must place civics and history on a pedestal equal with mathematics, science, and literature if we expect to maintain our place in the world.
I feel that I must also say that the future will be irrelevant if we do not have a planet on which to live. We must always be conscious that the Earth cannot sustain constant abuse, and we must always work to ensure that we leave our descendants a planet which will be a safe and clean habitat.
What I ask now I ask from all of you. I ask that you look outside of your lives, outside of your homes, and outside of your jobs or schools, and become an example for others to follow. In the world we occupy today, we cannot walk alone into the future. We must lead each other into the future, or we shall all be left behind. Imagine if every person just tried to do something for someone else every once in a while. How much that would enrich us all?
In closing, I would like to echo the words of Her Majesty the Queen, who said the following in her Christmas message in 1991:
'All the selfless voluntary work in the world can be wasted if it disregards the views and aspirations of others. There are any number of reasons to find fault with each other, with our Governments, and with other countries. But let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly of wisdom and we must always be ready to listen and respect other points of view.'
Thank you. Long live the Queen.