最高といわれたパウエル国務長官の訓辞
執筆者：伴 武澄【萬晩報主宰】
コリン・パウエル国務長官が国務省の職員に向けて行った就任スピーチが話題を呼び、「上司のスピーチとして最高の出来映え」との評価も出ている。ひとつには日本の中学生でも分かる語彙を使った簡潔な訓辞だったということである。
ブッシュ・ジュニアの大統領就任演説は相当に語彙をちりばめていたそうだが、ケネディやレーガンの就任演説は２００とか３００の単語で語られたため覚えやすく分かりやすかったとの定評がある。
アメリカでも大統領演説ともなれば陰のライターがいるのだろうが、パウエル国務長官のこのスピーチは本人の肉声のようだ。スピーチはきらびやかなキーワードがちりばめられていたとしても中身が伴わなければ空虚である。国務長官は「仕事を楽しめ」「いくら役所に遅くまでいても俺は評価しない」「仕事が終わったら家へ帰れ」と語りかけた。
また「チーズバーガーで十分で、宿泊はホリデーインが好きだ」と出張の際はの華美な接待を戒めた。規定の宿泊料を上回る高級ホテルが好みの多くの日本の閣僚とは大分違うようだ。見栄ばかりを張るから外務省の役人による公金横領を許す素地が生まれるのだ。日本にもこんな上司がいたら仕事ははかどるのだろう。以下、入手した英文の抜粋を掲載する。
I am going to fight for you. I am going to do everything I can to make your job easier.
I want you all to have fun under my leadership. I like to have fun. I am going to go home as soon as no one’s looking on the Seventh Floor.(Laughter and applause)
I am 63 going on 64. I don’t have to prove to anyone that I can work 16 hours a day if I can get it done in eight. (applause)
If I am looking for you at 7:30 at night, 8:00 at night, and you are not in your office, I will consider you to be very very wise person. (laughter) If I need you, i will find you at home. Anybody who is logging hours to impress me, you are waisting your time. (Laughter and Applause)
Do your work, get the work done, and then go home to your families, go to your soccer game. I have no intension — unless the mission demands it — I have no intension fo being here on Saturday and Sunday. Do what you have to do to get the job done, but don’t think that I am clocking anybody to see where you are on any particular hour of the day or day of the week. We are all professionals here and can take care of that. Have fun. Enjoy the work.(Applause)
I will start traveling in due course. For the first few weeks, since I am the only confirmed official in the State Department from the new Administration. I’m afraid to leave town. Al Larson might take over or do something–(inaudible). (Laughter)
So I am going to stick close to home until we get our sea legs, but then I will start traveling. And so for everybody watching around the world. I will be around to see you in due course. I am an easy visitor. We are going to try to make it very easy for me to visit. Just to save a lot of cable traffic.
I have no food preferance, no drink preferance–(laughter)–a cheeseburger will be fine. I like Holiday Inns, I have no illusions. I don’t want to be a burden when I come to visit. Don’t do a lot of dumb things just because the Secretary is coming. Keep it easy, keep it light keep it low. And if I find something I don’t like, I’ll let you know.(Laughter)
So I just want to let you know that I am proud to be your Secretary. I am proud to have been given this oppotunity to serve the American people again. But, above all to serve with you. Thank you very much.