The following is the full text of the speech delivered on September 7, 2009 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with President Ahmadinejad and his cabinet members.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I hope Allah the Exalted will enlighten the hearts of you dear brothers and sisters with the light of faith, certainty, and piety. I hope God will bestow the blessings of the month of Ramadan on all of us. By Allah's favor, if this happens, we will easily reach all our goals and realize all our dreams.
The present meeting has been arranged for two different reasons. Every year in the month of Ramadan, I arrange a meeting with the esteemed administration officials. That is one reason behind today's meeting. Government Week is another reason for holding this meeting. I usually arrange a meeting with the executive officials in Government Week. I could not arrange a meeting during Government Week this year because the administration officials and the president were busy. Let us commemorate our dear martyrs - Shahid Rajai and Shahid Bahonar - and ask Allah the Exalted to bestow high positions on these two martyrs in the hereafter. We appreciate the fact that the names of these two honorable and pious martyrs bless our administrations in Government Week each year. We appreciate the fact that our administrations start their work each year by commemorating them.
By Allah's grace, the administration has resumed its work now. That is an important and great opportunity - a great blessing that Allah the Exalted bestowed on our nation. First of all, through that vibrant and unforgettable election, the Iranian nation showed that it feels responsible for the management of the country and that it is prepared to step into the arena voluntarily in order to elect its executive officials. This is an important opportunity for the Islamic Republic and the Revolution. In fact, our great people renewed their allegiance to the Revolution with their 85 percent turnout rate. They elected the president with almost 25 million votes, which is itself a new record in our presidential elections. The 85 percent turnout rate and the 25 million votes for the president carry messages for us, and we should understand these messages. If the administration and government officials understand these messages appropriately, and if the prominent figures of our society consider these messages carefully, many of the problems will be solved.
The republican nature of the Islamic Republic was proven through the presidential election. That was one of the most essential messages that our nation - and, in fact, our Revolution - conveyed to the world. In fact, the 85 percent turnout rate was a knockout punch to the enemies who constantly talk against Islam and the Revolution - the enemies who are struggling vainly to undermine the republican foundations of the establishment. That high turnout rate conveyed this message to the world. You also noticed that the esteemed presidential candidates used to constantly talk about following the path of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and commitment to the values. Although in a few cases they made some statements that were not completely in line with these general positions, they were trying to show through their statements that they were committed to the path of the Imam Khomeini (r.a.), the Revolution, and its foundations. That is a very important point, which shows that all the candidates knew the Iranian people have a tendency towards these values. Their statements indicated the general orientation of the Iranian people towards Islam and their obedience to divine orders - which were manifested by our magnanimous Imam. Therefore, both the republican and Islamic aspects of the Islamic Republic were established and proven through this election. These are important messages. We must understand these messages.
By Allah's grace, the election turned a new page in the history of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic. To be fair, the responses of some individuals to this great public movement were not noble and morally appropriate. But these were only a manifestation of the ayah, "God makes, by such similitude, the truth distinct from falsehood: As for the foam, it will be quickly gone, and that which is of use to man, shall be remaining on the earth. Such are some parables by God set forth." [The Holy Quran, 13: 17] What will remain for this country and the history of this nation is the noble movement of the people and the great revolutionary movement. We should all be thankful. All those who are committed to our magnanimous Imam and all those who are interested in the country, in Islam, and in the glory of Islam, should be thankful to God for this great blessing. You administration officials should be more thankful because you are the ones who should shoulder the responsibilities. The president should be more thankful than anyone else. You should both appreciate this blessing and increase your humility before God through being thankful. Consider the votes of the people as an honor and rely on their votes. But you should avoid being conceited, otherwise you will be faced with different kinds of deviations and degeneration. You should be careful. Conceit is one of the great traps of Satan. Great victories are usually followed by great threats.
The liberation of Khorramshahr in 1361 was a great victory. It was an impressive achievement. It was important in terms of its political, social, and military repercussions. It was an impressive achievement from all aspects. All people from different parts of the country contributed to the liberation of Khorramshahr. I was the president at that time. Several presidents - from 6 or 7 countries - traveled to our country and met with me. They explicitly told me that after the great victory, our situation was different from the past. That shows the impressive national and international dimensions of the victory. Imam Khomeini (r.a.) was a great teacher - he was a teacher of morality. As soon as this great event took place and as soon as the first signs of it were noticed in the spirits of the people, Imam Khomeini (r.a.) detected the problem and provided a remedy in the early hours of the victory. He said, "Khorramshahr was liberated by God." The victory had been gained after all those hardships suffered by our commanders and after so many great soldiers had been martyred in Operation Beitol Moqaddas. Imam Khomeini (r.a.) wanted to prevent our soldiers and commanders from being conceited. He wanted to prevent our political figures from being conceited because of the great political victory. "It was not you, but God, who slew them, and when you threw, it was not you who threw. God was the One who threw. Yes, it was rather, a gracious test He put the faithful through." [The Holy Quran, 8: 17]
What we do is not important. Everything is done by God. If we use our free will and act wisely, we will have the honor of being used as a means of realizing divine goals. "O you believers, if among you some were to renounce their faith, God would soon raise another people who love Him as they are loved by Him." [The Holy Quran, 5: 54] What God wills cannot be thwarted by our inaction. "Such were the ways of God in foregone days, and you shall find in God's tradition no alteration." [The Holy Quran, 48: 23] In various parts of the Quran, God repeats, "And you shall find no changes in the Way of Allah in the least." [The Holy Quran, 33: 62] That is a divine law. "And even if disbelievers should give you battle, they'd be bound to turn their backs. Then no protectors, nor any helpers, shall they find. Such were the ways of God in forgone days, and you shall find in God's tradition no alteration." [The Holy Quran, 48: 22-23] "And you shall find no changes in the Way of Allah in the least." [The Holy Quran, 33: 62] This Quranic verse means that if you step into the arena, you will defeat your enemies. That is a divine law. This victory may not be gained in a day or in a year, but it will certainly happen. Defeat is meaningless in the camp of righteousness and justice unless the soldiers of justice fail to fight or take the necessary measures. Therefore, everything is done by God. The government officials, the esteemed president, and all the people who are committed to this movement should increase their gratitude for the divine blessings on a daily basis. They should be thankful to God for channeling the people's support towards them.
Thankfully, the previous [8th] administration was very diligent. Like the president, I deem it necessary to thank each and every cabinet member of the previous administration. To be fair, they made a lot of efforts in different areas. I would like to say welcome to the present cabinet members. I wish you success. I hope Allah the Exalted will help you and bestow success on you. After all, our time is a time for hard work. The work you have to do is hard and subtle. If we work less, we will fall behind. If we ignore the subtle details, we will fall behind. We should pay attention to both the quality and the quantity of our work. I hope Allah the Exalted will help you.
Our esteemed president is thankfully energetic and tireless indeed. It is very difficult to keep up with him. I hope God will help you work shoulder to shoulder with him and reach your goals. That is a very difficult job. The president makes a lot of efforts. He works really hard, and thankfully he is energetic. He does not usually appear very tired. I hope Allah the Exalted will help him and give him more energy. I constantly pray for him. Not even a single day has passed without me praying for the president and a number of other government officials.
I will briefly talk about my recommendations to the cabinet members. One recommendation is that you should rely on Allah the Exalted and remember Him in order to preserve your spiritual strength. This is the first requirement. If we strengthen ourselves internally, we will not be weighed down by any problems. We should spiritually strengthen ourselves to the extent that we are not weighed down by physical problems and shortcomings. You should know that this can be achieved through relying on God and remembering Him.
There are two points that I would like to discuss regarding reliance on God and optimism. The first point is that a lot of problems will be caused and a lot of plots will be hatched against you and the administration - and in fact, against the Islamic Republic. There will be a lot of plots and malevolence along the way. You should prepare yourselves for different kinds of ill will, spite, and pessimism, the results of which will be manifested in the real world.
The second point is that our opportunities and hopes are far more than these problems. That is to say, our capabilities, our opportunities, and divine assistance are far more than the problems I talked about. Therefore, you should make these problems easy for yourselves through relying on Allah the Exalted.
My second recommendation to you is to continue the basic attitudes adopted by the previous administration. After all, this administration is the continuation of the previous administration. Administering justice was one of your basic attitudes in the previous administration. Do not change this attitude. You should pursue the issue of justice, fighting corruption, and supporting the poor. You should continue your simple lifestyle and your attention to underprivileged areas and public problems. If these principles are persistently observed, Allah the Exalted will be pleased and the people will be satisfied with their government. You should continue these attitudes.
I have raised a lot of points about the important issue of justice. There are several other points I would like to add. First of all, justice should be carefully defined. We should determine what we mean by justice. Administration of justice is not limited to economic issues. However, a major part of justice is related to economic matters. We should all keep justice in mind as a criterion in all our statements, positions, judgments, and views. Economic justice and the unfair distribution of national wealth among the people are among the most common issues - which have numerous manifestations, including the state subsidies. The poor currently receive less governmental support than the rich! The government is granting more subsidies to the rich than to the poor. The Subsidy Redistribution Bill is very important. Redistribution of the government subsidies has been a dream for many years. On several occasions, I told the previous [Khatami] administrations to consider the distribution of the state subsidies, but they did not follow up the issue. It is a very difficult task. They preferred to leave the state subsidies the way they were. But the current administration is following up the issue. You should do something about it, and it is a delicate job. If there is enough time, I will give you a number of recommendations in this regard.
Regarding the issue of justice, you should also pay attention to rationality as well as spirituality. As I have said before, if justice is not accompanied by spirituality, it will turn into a meaningless slogan. There are many people who talk about justice, but because spirituality is missing in their discussion of justice, administering justice appears to be more like a political slogan. On the other hand, if justice is not accompanied by rationality, justice may sometimes turn into injustice. Many measures have been taken by some extremist people in the country to promote justice, but their measures have resulted in injustice. Having seen the results of their measures, the same people have now made an ideological U-turn! They think, talk, and act differently now. Therefore, rationality is the first requirement for the administration of justice.
My third recommendation is that you should measure the administration's goals against the Twenty-Year Strategic Plan, which is a very important document and should not be underestimated. I would say except for the Constitution, there is nothing else that is more important than the Twenty-Year Strategic Plan. It is a comprehensive, long-term document. Four years of the plan is already gone, which means we have 16 years left. How much progress have we made? Some people claim that we are ahead of the plan. Some other people claim that we are behind the schedule and that we have only achieved the goals outlined for the first two years. Our progress has to be measured carefully. This strategic plan has outlined a future that is necessary for the Iranian nation, a future it deserves. If we do not achieve that future, we will fall behind. We should also know that while we are moving towards our goals, other people are not sitting idle. We should know that other people are also making progress. We should carefully adjust our speed and set a timetable for our plans. We should set a timetable so that we can achieve the goals outlined in the Twenty-Year Strategic Plan. I mean this administration should do its appropriate share of the work.
My fourth recommendation is that you should practice every policy outlined in Article 44 of the Constitution. That is a very important point as well. When Article 44 was proposed, all the economic and managerial experts of the country admitted that putting the article into practice would lead to a great economic transformation in the country. All the policies outlined in the article should be practiced. Some measures have already been adopted. I have received some reports from the president as well as other government officials in this regard. However, the article has far more potential. I would say the major portion of the potential of these policies has not been utilized yet. The government should have privatized many organizations, but it has failed to do so. The government should have avoided taking responsibility for certain organizations. The necessary measures have not been taken yet. We may say - as the president did - that the current economic infrastructures and mechanisms are not appropriate for privatization and that the "Economic Overhaul Plan" should be practiced before privatization. I do not want to deny it. The president may be right. But we should not think that we have reached a dead end. We should not think that all the doors are closed to us. After all, we should move forward. The "Economic Overhaul Plan" will finally be ratified by the Majlis. Some amendments may be made. But we should try to practice our plans. You have many laws at your disposal. You should evaluate the genuine progress towards the policies outlined in Article 44 of the Constitution. It is the administration that should do the evaluation.
My fifth recommendation - which follows from the previous recommendation - is that you should solve the economic problems of the people and the country. Inflation and unemployment are the most important issues. The esteemed president raised a very good point in his statements, and I would like to emphasize his point. The government should make plans in order to reduce the pressure of inflation on the people. Sometimes this pressure may originate from outside the country, and sometimes it may result from certain laws inside the country. You also talked about rendering services. Many of the services are provided by the administration. The effect of some services on inflation has risen from 30 percent to 70 percent, and many of these services are being provided by the administration. You should reduce the pressure of inflation as much as you can. This is one of the most important things you have to do.
Regarding your economic plans, you should take care not to make hasty decisions. Making hasty decisions and failing to make use of expert opinion in economic matters may deal us some blows. Of course it is the critics who accuse the administration of making hasty decisions, and the administration has rejected these accusations. The critics say that the administration does not make use of the views of economic experts. But the administration says that it does make use of expert opinion. Regardless of these claims and counterclaims, I advise the administration to make maximum use of expert opinion. I do not advise you to follow all the economic formulae and prescriptions dictated by modern international economics. No, that is exactly the opposite of what I think. You should look for appropriate economic solutions, but you should certainly make use of expert opinion that is scholarly and precise, especially in financial and banking matters. We cannot afford to be careless. I mean economic matters are very subtle. One single careless and inappropriate measure may lead to disastrous consequences, forcing us to spend a lot of time and financial resources to rectify the resultant problems. You should pay a lot of attention to this point.
In economic matters, we have to beware of careless and impulsive decisions. Of course impulsive decisions are always bad, but they quickly lead to negative consequences when it comes to economic matters. And sometimes these consequences are very serious. You should pay a lot of attention to this point. Although the executive branch is the pivot of economic decisions and economic activities, the other two branches of the government also have an important role to play. The legislative as well as the judiciary branch should fulfill their responsibilities in this regard. They should cooperate with the executive branch. The private sector and all the organizations affiliated to this sector should act harmoniously in this regard. They should help the administration and cooperate with it.
My sixth recommendation is related to cultural matters. As was mentioned, cultural matters are of paramount importance. What do we want to do regarding cultural issues? We should first answer this basic question. Sometimes an organization may totally ignore cultural affairs. Some other times an organization may focus its efforts and attention on cultural affairs, but its cultural goal-setting may be problematic. Setting cultural goals is very important, and you should not ignore its importance. What is it exactly that we want to do regarding the culture of the people? As an Islamic government, can we relinquish control of the cultural life of our society? Obviously not. This is one of our responsibilities. The critics and opponents criticize us. Sometimes they make fun of us, and sometimes they insult us. They may do whatever they like. We cannot give up our divine responsibility because of these things. We are responsible for spiritual guidance of our people. In an Islamic community, government is not a purely materialistic issue. Islamic rule means managing public affairs as well as guiding the people. We should make as many efforts as we can to prepare the way for guiding the people. We should guide the people as much as we can. Our governmental organizations have many means of guidance at their disposal. The IRIB is one example. The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Ministry of Science, and the Ministry of Education are other examples of such means. Of course the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance deals with books, imaginative arts, and various forms of visual and aural arts. How do we use these means? We should act in a way that our people develop a tendency towards religion and become committed to religious principles. In all areas, we should adopt the same attitude when setting goals.
In all our goal-setting attempts, attracting the people towards religion and God should be our goal. Otherwise, if we just try to find out which one of our actions attracts disapproval of foreigners, we will not be able to make much progress. The world does not approve of the beard you grow. Similarly, the world does not approve of the fact that you do not wear a tie. It does not approve of the fact that you are not prepared to use many of the common foods and drinks in the world. The world does not approve of women's hijab. Why do we need to pay attention to these things? Around 27 years ago, in a meeting with university students, someone asked me how I would defend my position on something. I said, "I am not supposed to defend. I am supposed to attack." Our position is not defensive. Regarding women's rights and various other issues, we have to adopt an offensive position. The world has to answer to us. In this case, it is the materialistic people of the world who are heading in the wrong direction. They themselves - their intellectuals - are starting to realize this fact. They are starting to admit the consequences of their evil actions. Gradually, they are starting to admit that they have been wrong. And some of them have decided to turn a blind eye to their problematic attitude. It is ridiculous to feel ashamed when they say something bad about us. You should never adopt such an attitude when it comes to cultural affairs. Of course I do not approve of baseless extremist tendencies either. I have never recommended such tendencies, and I will never do so. But you should firmly adhere to the principles that are based on region and sharia. You should feel proud of these principles and practice them.
My seventh recommendation is that the administration should respect the law. The president said that everybody should observe the law. Yes, obviously, everybody should observe the law. The Majlis, the Judiciary, and various other organizations should respect the law. I advise all three branches of the government to observe the law. You should observe the law carefully. Some critics of the administration said that it does not observe the law. The president responded that his administration has observed the law more closely than all previous administrations. The two sides made two opposite claims in this regard. It does not matter which claim is preferable. I just want to emphatically advise you executive officials of the country to pay attention to the law. If we break a law in a certain case, it does not just mean that we have violated one single law. Rather, it means we have set a new trend. That is the consequence of violation of the law. Violating a law provides other individuals with an opportunity to violate the same law again. Therefore, you should pay a lot of attention to the law.
My next recommendation is that you should welcome criticisms tolerantly. Criticisms will not harm you at all. Of course the criticisms that are leveled against you are not all constructive. Some of them are destructive criticisms. Such criticisms are being made both by our press and by their supporters. Tens of foreign radio stations, TV channels, and international media are at the service of statements and thoughts that are expressed with the purpose of questioning the competence of the administration. That is to say, these criticisms are not at all intended to be constructive. Whatever they say is destructive criticism. That is why their statements contain facts as well as falsities. Sometimes they blow a small problem out of all proportion. Other times they present a falsity as an indisputable reality. These are the instances of destructive criticisms. But there are constructive criticisms as well - fair and legitimate criticisms. These constructive criticisms are sometimes voiced by your friends and sometimes by the individuals that do not support you. Sometimes a criticism is leveled against us by someone who is not our friend, which makes it difficult to listen to him. He may not be a friend, but he is not an enemy either or his enmity has not been proven. Even such criticisms should be considered. There may be something useful in such criticisms. In any case, criticisms have to be received in a tolerant manner.
In the past few years, several insults have been thrown at you. You have been subject to various types of hostility. You tolerated them, and Allah the Exalted will reward you for your patience. But this should not make you intolerant and impervious to criticisms. This should not make you treat any small criticism as a sign of enmity. You should be open to criticisms. Criticisms are good. Constructive criticisms, especially the ones voiced by some elites, are like a gift.
I also advise you to appreciate the recommendations offered by our ulama. Sometimes our ulama, religious luminaries, and marja taqlids offer you some pieces of advice regarding different matters. You should appreciate their advice. You should consider their recommendations as a sign of their affection for you. I know that - except in rare cases - all the ulama in different parts of our country and in different Islamic seminaries support and appreciate the Islamic Republic. They know how hard the Islamic Republic has worked to promote Islamic goals. They are aware of your efforts and services. The recommendations they offer are out of their sympathy and affection for you. You should really appreciate their advice.
The same is true of our academic elites. Some academic elites are benevolent people. They sometimes write letters to me. Thankfully, I have the time to read many of the letters written by our academic elites and prominent seminarians. Although there are usually too many letters to read, I have fortunately had the opportunity to read many of the special letters. They sometimes criticize us. They criticize certain measures and decisions in the country. Sometimes we may not consider the criticisms of our elites as valid. Sometimes you read their criticisms, and you see that the criticisms are not fair and are rooted in, for instance, their lack of information. But there are also good and useful points among their criticisms. One should benefit from the ideas of the elites. When you welcome their criticisms and warnings, you preserve their intellectual support for yourselves, and they feel that they can provide you with intellectual assistance. I have constantly advised you to create this intellectual channel between yourselves and the elites.
My next recommendation is that I believe the government is the only institution that can develop an Iranian and Islamic model of progress. You should benefit from the ideas of our intellectuals in developing a model of progress. That is because the present decade is "the Decade of Progress and Justice". We want progress to be accompanied by justice, which is the polar opposite of what is put forward in today's materialistic world. They say if they take justice into account, they will not achieve progress, and that they should, therefore, delay administration of justice until they achieve progress. They say once they achieve progress, they will try their best to compensate for the lack of justice through different kinds of insurance and state benefits - but they have been mostly unsuccessful in their attempts to compensate for the lack of justice. We believe progress should be accompanied by justice. Justice must be an integral part of progress. We need a model to practice this idea. You should try to develop a model for it. That will be an example of a comprehensive outlook on the future of the country. And you have four years to develop a model. These four years can serve as a foundation that can guide the efforts of those who come after you.
My last recommendation is that justice is not limited to economic matters. One should ask Allah the Exalted to help one act on the basis of justice. One should even try to treat oneself fairly. Treat your relatives fairly. Treat your wife and children fairly. Sometimes I have noticed that some of our government officials are so deeply immersed in their work that they forget about their wife and children. This can result in some negative consequences. This is not just an empty request. Safeguarding one's wife and children and one's family is a religious obligation. "O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is men and stones." [The Holy Quran, 66: 6] This Quranic verse has advised people to protect themselves and their families. That is to say, in this Quranic verse, the advice to protect oneself has been placed next to the advice to protect one's family. Allah the Exalted told His Messenger, "Do not be miserly, nor prodigal, for then you shall be either blamed or left in destitution." [The Holy Quran, 17: 29] Allah the Exalted also advised His Messenger to be moderate in everything. "And those who, when they give in alms, are not extravagant, nor miserly, but keep the mean between extremes." One should always avoid going to the extremes.
I hope what I said today will serve a divine cause. Hopefully, the brothers and sisters who have attended this meeting will benefit from my comments and will continue their efforts in a more determined manner. Your performance has been good so far, and you have moved forward firmly. I hope in the future you will move forward in all areas in a more steadfast manner. I hope Allah the Exalted will help you make increasing progress on a daily basis.
Blessings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings