All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master Muhammad, and upon his pure progeny, and may God curse all their enemies
I am very thankful to God the Exalted for bestowing on me the opportunity to meet with you government officials and executives, even in a limited way, in these auspicious days and this blessed month. By God’s favor, I hope that we will be able to receive divine blessings and kindness thanks to your purity and sincerity. I am very grateful to Mr. President as well. He delivered a good report and I hope that he will be able to move the affairs forward with a good pace and in the right time.
What I want to discuss with you dear ones are a few spiritual words of advice on the occasion of the month of Ramadan. In fact, these words of advice are primarily addressed to this humble person himself. I must discuss them so that my heart is hopefully influenced by them because I myself need these pieces of advice more than all of you. Another part of my speech is related to your work, your spirit and your sentiments as you are officials in different areas of the country. Another part of my statements is related to operational tasks in certain areas on the basis of experience and our outlook towards different matters.
As for my words of advice, primarily I wish to say that one of my requests, which is also reflected in prayers narrated by the Imams, is to make our intentions pure. In a Ramadan prayer, there is a statement which says, “Strength, freshness, repentance, forgiveness… and a pure intention” [speaking in Arabic]. Having a pure intention is very important. We should sincerely make an agreement with ourselves and our God to move forward on the correct path – the path that we believe in – in a determined way and without feeling tired. This is what a pure intention is. By God’s favor, if you make your intentions pure and strengthen this in yourselves, this will help you continue the path during your term of responsibility. This pure intention will help you move forward.
One of the points that has been frequently mentioned in the prayers of this month – both day and night prayers – is the issue of asking God for forgiveness. We must ask God to forgive us. In certain prayers, there is a statement saying, “This is the month of forgiveness.” Asking God for His forgiveness is frequently mentioned in these prayers. Well, what does forgiveness mean? It means apologizing. We must apologize to God the Exalted. We must apologize to Him for many things that we did and that we did not do.
This act of asking for divine forgiveness, which is done with a pure intention, gives you a purity that attracts divine mercy. We must try to attract divine mercy and divine blessings. In prayers, we read, “Oh God, I ask You to bring about the circumstances for Your mercy.” There are certain circumstances which lead to divine mercy. This asking for forgiveness is effective in all areas of life.
There is an ayah in Sura al-Hud about the common affairs of life: “And Oh my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain.” In other words, God the Exalted showers heavenly blessings on you. After that, God says, “And add strength to your strength” [The Holy Quran, 11: 52]. This increases your strength and power. This is very important. This is not a personal matter, rather it is a public and national matter.
The effect of asking for divine forgiveness in one of the most difficult arenas of life – fighting against the enemy – is more clearly explained in a holy ayah in the auspicious Sura al-Imran: “How many of the prophets fought, and with them (fought) large bands of godly men? But they never lost heart if they met with disaster in God’s way, nor did they weaken nor give in. And God Loves those who are firm and steadfast. All that they said was: "Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything We may have done that transgressed our duty” [The Holy Quran, 3: 146-147].
Those who fight alongside the prophets – those Godly and monotheistic people – would use these pivots in their prayers: “All that they said was: “Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything We may have done that transgressed our duty: Establish our feet firmly, and help us against those that resist Faith.” This is the relationship between asking for forgiveness, and war, stability and divine assistance. Such is the effect of repenting. From these ayahs, we can also understand the direction of the prophets. We should not think that prophets used to sit at home or used to stay all the time at the mosque praying. No, they were present in the arena of war as well.
If we truly ask God for His forgiveness because of the mistakes that we have made, God the Exalted will respond. This has been explicitly mentioned in the Quran. God the Exalted says to those who asked for His forgiveness and His assistance, “And God gave them a reward in this world, and the excellent reward of the Hereafter” [3: 148].
He answered their prayers in this very world before departing for the hereafter. He answered their prayers because they had asked for His forgiveness. So, the Holy Quran’s lesson is to employ repentance for victory in various arenas. In other words, we must not look at repentance as an act done for personal sins and for cleansing our own hearts. Rather, repentance is effective and influential in national and large social arenas as well. It will help us accomplish big things.
Well, what should we repent for? Primarily, we must repent for the sins – indecent and grave sins - that we have committed such as telling lies, backbiting, looking at and touching things which are haraam, usurping and the like. This is one kind of repentance. Another is repentance for internal sins: “Eschew all sin, open or secret: those who earn sin will get due recompense for their earnings” [The Holy Quran, 6: 120]. This is related to internal sins that requires a separate discussion.
Another kind of repentance is for the sins that are related to the abandonment of an obligation. It is not something that we did, rather it is something that we should have done, but we did not. My dear ones, many of us are afflicted with the last case. We should have done certain things, said things, taken some action, signed a paper, but we did not as a result of laziness, idleness and indifference towards our duty. This is a sin and we will be questioned for that. Therefore, in Supplication Makarim al-Akhlaq, it is said, “Help me do things for which You will question me in the hereafter.”
One of the things which I have sometimes discussed and which is a moving lesson of the Holy Quran is the story of Hazrat Yunus (peace and greetings be upon him). He was a great divine prophet: “And remember Zun-nun, when he departed in wrath.” Well, why was he angry? Because his people did not become believers. They did not listen to whatever he said for years – I do not know how many years. He invited them to God for many years, but it did not work and thus, he became angry and left them.
If we compare it to the abandonment of obligations that the likes of us commit, this seems no big matter, but God the Exalted questions this as well: “He imagined that We had no power over him” [The Holy Quran, 21: 87]. He thought that God would not be strict with him, but God was strict with him. The reason was that he left.
Elsewhere in the Holy Quran, God says, “Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified God, He would certainly have remained inside the whale till the Day of Resurrection” [37: 143-144]. Look how important it is. If he had not glorified God, had not supplicated and had not said, “glory to You: I was indeed wrong.”, he would have remained inside the whale until the Day of Judgement. There is good news in the following part of the ayah: “There is no God but You: glory to You, I was indeed wrong!" So, We listened to him and delivered him from distress, and thus do We deliver those who have faith” [21: 87-88].
“Thus do We deliver those who have faith” is good news for us. It means that by praising God, asking for His forgiveness, acknowledging our sins and apologizing to Him, we too can achieve salvation. So, repenting is done for committing a wrong deed and for not doing things that we must have done and for bad management. It is necessary for both these things.
The point that exists is that we refer to the executives of the Islamic Republic as “mass’ul” [the word in Persian and Arabic]. We describe them as mass’ul, what does mass’ul signify? It signifies that we will be questioned [literally meaning ‘the one who is questioned’]. For what? For the things that we did and the things that we did not do.
Of course, in the common political language of the world, such questioning is conducted by people, but more important than this is God’s questioning. This is more important in the Islamic Republic. Of course, people’s questioning is important as well and this is a pillar of religious democracy. Having a sense of responsibility towards the people is one of the pillars of the Islamic Republic and democracy, but much more important than this is having a sense of responsibility before God. “Oh God, bestow Your mercy on me when my reasoning fails before You, when I cannot find my tongue to give You answers and when my mind makes a mistake when You ask me a question.” Things are like this on Judgement Day.
They will question us, but we will have no answers. We might have prepared some arguments and we express them, but they are rejected. Then, we notice that our reasoning is not correct. If they ask us, “Why did you do this? Why did you not do that” we might have something to say and we express it, but it will be rejected: “Oh God, bestow Your mercy on me when my reasoning fails before You, when I cannot find my tongue to give You answers and when my mind makes a mistake when You ask me a question.” This is in the holy supplication of Abu-Hamza. Things are like this.
Even when people do not have access to an official to ask him questions and supervise his work, God is present there. Your work and service is like this. I have frequently said this to various managerial organizations of the country, I said to them that when they work an extra half an hour, no one might notice it. Even your superior may not notice it and he will not give you a simple thank you, but God sees this. The same is true of unfulfilled obligations and wrong deeds.
The statement made by our magnanimous Imam – “The whole universe is where God is present” – is very important. May God raise the position of that knowledge-imbued heart. The whole universe is where God is present. The Arabic word “mahzar” means a place where someone is present. God is everywhere. Wherever we are – whether we are alone or in a gathering of people – and even in our hearts, imagination, thoughts and intentions, God the Exalted is present in all these places. The basis of responsibility is this: Divine presence. This is the basis of social and political responsibility. You must know that the decisions that you take, the signature that you sign or refuse to do, the things that you do and do not do are all done in the presence of God: “And you were the watcher of what was behind them and the witness to what was hidden from them.”
Another point that I deem necessary to raise in this very friendly, warm and good meeting is that even if you and I, who have certain responsibilities in the Islamic Republic, are like this in our personal lives – for instance, if we are not very careful and committed – when we enter the field of responsibility, we must be a lot more careful. For example, if you did not previously attach much significance to night prayers, recommended prayers, keeping a vigil and the like, now that you have become a manager, you must attach significance to them. You must strengthen the things that help you get connected to God. You and I must feel the presence of God when taking or abandoning an action. If this happens, then divine blessings will come pouring.
This is the same thing that was mentioned in Sura al-Hud. In that Sura, we read that heavenly blessings will be showered on us. Heavenly blessings are not limited to rain. They include everything. Including divine mercy: “Shower your blessings on us”. This attentiveness of us will be beneficial to the people, the Islamic Republic, the country and to ourselves because it gets our hearts closer to spirituality and the pure life offered by God. Well, these were the words of advice that I wanted to discuss. Of course, as I said before, I myself need them more than all of you. I hope that God will help us be influenced by these words of advice.
As for the recommendations, I have a number of recommendations for you dear brothers and sisters who have entered the arena of governmental responsibility – including in the Majlis, in the administration and in various other organizations as a fresh group of people have entered the field. In particular, I have recommendations for young officials. Fortunately, a large number of youths have found their way in the body of the government. This is very gladdening if they take care of themselves.
The recommendation that I wish to offer today is attention to two detriments: one is arrogance and another is passivity. These are two detriments that you must meticulously beware of.
Arrogance is Satan’s weapon. Arrogance and hubris is Satan’s weapon. And it has different sources. It does not matter where it originates from, sometimes, it originates from your position. Imagine that previously, you used to work in a remote area. Now, you have undertaken a higher managerial position, for example in the Majlis, in the administration, in revolutionary organizations or in the Armed Forces. This might make one arrogant due to the position that one has achieved. This is one origin of arrogance.
Another origin of arrogance is the achievements that one makes. You may achieve something and make progress in something that you do. Here, you may become arrogant at what you have achieved. Another origin of arrogance is becoming confident about God’s Grace and attention. This has been mentioned in many prayers and even in the Quran: “Nor let the chief Deceiver deceive you about God” [31: 33]. You must take care not to let arrogance – which is Satan – make you overconfident about God. What does this mean? It means that we may become sure of God’s help and stop being careful and pious. For example, we may say to ourselves, “We are among the friends of Ahlul Bayt. Therefore, God will not punish us in any way.” This is over-confidence about God’s assistance: “And the most miserable misery is for him who is overconfident about You” [Sahifa al-Sajjadiyyah, 46]. This is in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyyah. I think it is Supplication 46, which is the supplication for Friday: Dear God, he who becomes overconfident about You is the most miserable person. This is overconfidence and arrogance.
You must not become arrogant. If arrogance shows up, this will be a sign of defeat and decline. If arrogance shows up from either of these origins, it will be a prelude to one’s decline. When one becomes arrogant, they will decline from the inside and in society. The social movements that has been formed around them will be ruined as well.
There is a holy ayah which says, “Assuredly God helped you in many battlefields and on the day of Hunayn: Behold! your great numbers elated you, but they availed you naught, the land, for all that it is wide, constrained you, and you turned back in retreat” [9: 25]. The Battle of Hunayn was the first battle that the Holy Prophet had after the conquest of Makkah. There were a large number of people with the Holy Prophet. Unlike the Battle of Badr in which Muslims were only 313 in number, several thousand new Muslims, immigrant Muslims and Ansar went to Taif to engage in the Battle of Hunayn, after they had conquered Makkah. When they looked at their own numbers, they became arrogant. God the Exalted broke them because of becoming arrogant: “The land, for all that it is wide, constrained you.” The land, despite its vastness, became tight on them. “And you turned back in retreat.” One of the battles where people abandoned the Holy Prophet, except for the Commander of the Faithful and a few others, was the Battle of Hunayn, just like the Battle of Uhud.
Well, this is the result of becoming arrogant. Of course, later, God the Exalted helped them and they managed to win, but this is the result of becoming proud of oneself. It will make one collapse. Not only will it make us collapse, but it will also make the group that moves around us collapse as well. That is why we read in Supplication Kumail: “That you make me content with what You have given me and in all cases humble.” You must be humble at all times. Humility means modesty and it is the opposite of arrogance. In Supplication Kumail, one asks this of God.
One of the problems with arrogance if it shows up in us is that it makes us walk away from the people. Arrogance makes us drift away from the people. The people become small in our eyes. We will humiliate them and we will naturally walk away from them.
It makes us delusional about ourselves. We think more highly of ourselves more than what we are. This is the pest of arrogance. When we have a sense of self-importance, our mistakes become smaller in our eyes. Well, all of us make mistakes. All of us acknowledge in our hearts that we have some shortcomings. In certain cases, we know that we have made mistakes in such and such areas, but these mistakes become small in our eyes. That is while if someone else makes these mistakes, they seem grave to us, but our own mistakes seem small in our eyes. When mistakes seem insignificant, we become negligent about correcting them. We will not correct them and continue making them. These are the outcomes of arrogance. Notice how problematic this becomes.
It deprives us of listening to friendly advice. Sometimes, a person says something to us out of malice and it might make us angry, but sometimes people criticize us in a friendly way and we will not listen. Well, this is the first detriment: becoming arrogant.
What is the second detriment? Passivity. Passivity is the opposite of arrogance. This is also a malady and detriment and is equally devastating. What does passivity mean? It means having low confidence, thinking that we are weak and feeling that we cannot go on. It means having a sense of being in a dead end and having no way out. Having no hope of divine mercy is one of the results of passivity which is a big sin: “Never give up hope of God’s soothing Mercy” [The Holy Quran, 12: 87].
One of the big sins is hopelessness about God’s divine mercy. This results from passivity because one feels being in a dead end without any way out. This is a dangerous poison. For the manager and official of an organization, it is really a poison to feel being in a dead end. The enemies are trying very hard to inculcate this sense into all of us and they do so in different ways: through negotiations, meetings, slogans, interviews and news. With some operational activities, they try to engender a sense of desperation, passivity, impasse and the like in the other side. This is another detriment.
Of course, our hands are open against this second detriment, which is passivity. In other words, we thankfully have the way to confront passivity in the Islamic Republic. First of all, we have divine promises: Quranic ayahs, which are God’s irreversible promises. In Holy Sura al-Imran, after mentioning the enemy’s sentiments towards the Muslims, God says, “If anything that is good befalls you, it grieves them, but if some misfortune overtakes you, they rejoice at it.” After that, He says, “But if you are constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you” [3: 120]. The Holy Quran shows us the path to confront the enemy: patience and piety. Later on, I will expand on the meaning of piety in these cases. Therefore, we are confident that the promise of the Quran is a true promise. There is no shred of doubt about it: “But if you are constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you.” That is, their tricks will not affect you in any way and will not push you back. This is a divine promise.
First of all, what does patience – “but if you are constant and do right” – mean? It means not becoming tired. In many Farsi translations, patience has been defined as resistance and steadfastness. This is correct. It means not becoming tired. Even if they refer to it as tolerance, it means not becoming tired. This is what patience means: not becoming tired. The same is true of patience in praying and in the face of sins. Some sins are attractive and they pull us towards them, but we show resistance. This resistance might make us tired and one might give up. Patience means not becoming tired. It holds true for sins and for confronting the enemy. This is what patience means. It means not fleeing the arena. This is patience.
What does piety mean? It means taking complete care of oneself. Piety means this in every area: “The best of provisions is piety” [The Holy Quran, 2: 197]. Wherever in the Quran, piety means complete care of oneself, just like a person who walks on a scrubland wearing a long garment – such as the garment of us clergy. Well, one takes care not to let the thorns get stuck in our clothes. We take care step by step. We look under our feet and we look for places where there are fewer thorns. We look under our feet and we look forward. This is piety.
Piety which is commonly defined as fear of God means this. Fear of God has such a meaning. It means taking care not to take action against God’s commands. This is piety. In such cases, when the Quran says, “But if you are constant and do right”, there is a specific quality which is piety against the enemy. This means watching over the enemy and his moves, watching our own moves against him, being careful about his maneuvers and activities and about our response which might originate from negligence. Piety means this.
The Commander of the Faithful says, “The warrior should be wakeful because if he sleeps the enemy does not sleep” [Nahjul Balaghah, Letter 62]. This means being awake and remaining focused. In this area, piety means this. It contains the same general meaning of piety, but here, it shows itself by watching over the enemy. This holds true in all areas. In diplomacy, economy and security, piety is necessary. It is necessary in all these areas. In various matters, piety is necessary in line with the requirements of that matter. We must ask God for His help and take complete care of things. This was about God’s command.
Our experience shows the same thing too. Once, we used to read these Quranic ayahs and the only experience we had was history and we used to cite the early Islamic era as an experience, but today, this is not the case anymore. Today, we ourselves have experienced these matters. We ourselves have experienced in different arenas that if we show patience and piety, we will be victorious.
The day when the war broke out – I am speaking about the Sacred Defense Era – many of us would think that the war would last a week, 10, 20 days, but it lasted eight years! From the first day, Imam was confident. He did not announce that we would win, but we did not see any anxiety in him. He would ask questions, wanted explanations and asked for details in meetings with the presence of officials. He would ask about things and why such and such a thing was done, but there was no sign of worry and anxiety in Imam’s face and behavior. In other words, he felt assured that it would end well and he stood firm. He stood firm on various matters.
Well, some people used to say on that day why such and such a decision was not taken. Well, they were not present and they did not know about the various aspects of the issue. It is possible that some mistakes were done in certain cases at that time – I mean in general, I do not want to get involved in details – but the general movement was a movement of patience and piety and eventually, things thankfully ended in our victory. The same is true of various other matters.
With all these successful experiences that we have in different areas, it would be really an act of oppression to the people, the country and the Revolution if someone decided today to make the people disappointed, to inject a feeling of impasse in the people, and to demolish the people’s morale and undermine officials’ determination.
Of course, our indicators in certain areas are negative. In the economic area, the indicators are not good. All of us agree on this. Previous and future officials and managers and everyone else know that the indicators are not satisfactory in various years until today. Of course, all these are improvable. All these economic problems are definitely correctable, by God’s favor, and they will be corrected, but the economy is not the only criterion for power, progress and success. There are other criteria as well. Those criteria must be seen as well. Even in the area of the economy, there are signs of success in different areas, some of which I will mention.
First of all, despite the sanctions against our country – the sanctions that existed before and that exist today are unprecedented sanctions - they themselves have acknowledged that from the beginning of history, no country has experienced such sanctions – our economy did not fail. Despite the predictions made by foreigners saying that Iran would become bankrupt, this did not happen and the economy remained up and running. The economy’s resilience is a big success.
Additionally, we benefited from the sanctions. Our nation, our officials and our managers took advantage of the sanctions in many cases to achieve self-sufficiency. If we had not been under sanctions, for instance, when the coronavirus emerged, we would have imported vaccines from different countries in the world and we would not have thought of producing it on our own. As Mr. President stated, vaccines are being produced in five, six centers. This is a source of pride for the Iranian nation. It is an honor for the Iranian nation. Of course, we benefitted from other countries’ vaccines because we should have done so and there was nothing wrong with it, but the fact that we ourselves managed to take action is an achievement in itself.
In numerous areas, we achieved self-sufficiency and creativity. On television, we see many cases in which four, five youth gather together and produce something. They create a financially valuable thing and the quality of that product is better than the foreign counterparts. These things are broadcast and everyone can witness them. We are seeing these things. These are a nation’s success and progress. These achievements happened in the economic area.
In the very area of the economy, despite the sanctions and harsh measures, the country did not run up debts. If you look at many countries – neighboring and non-neighboring countries – despite the fact that they were not under any sanctions and that they did not confront so much enmity, they went into a debt of 300, 400 billion dollars to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and such and such a country. Our debt is close to zero – it is not zero, but it is close to it. This is not a minor achievement, rather it is very important. That is, even in the area of the economy where there are many negative indicators, there are such positive indicators as well.
Another achievement of ours, which is an indicator in itself and which must receive due attention, is our scientific, industrial and technological progress. At a time when we were under international pressures of all sorts, we managed to progress in various scientific and industrial areas. This is not a minor achievement, rather it is very important. A number of popular associations – popular investment associations – have accomplished outstanding things. A few weeks ago, there was a meeting at this Hussainiyyah which was broadcast on television. You might have seen it, entrepreneurs came and delivered reports. They were not only some verbal reports, rather the images were completely shown. It showed what great things they accomplished. Active companies in the area of production and other areas carried out certain tasks.
Another criterion that we can rely on is that the people-run managerial orientation of the country moved smoothly. Just take a look at some countries which have numerous problems in their managerial issues and in their elections: early elections, annulment of elections and the like. However, in our country, despite all enmities, the affairs moved forward in a legal and correct way and it produced good results. These are important criteria for the affairs of the country. If you compare these with other countries, then it becomes clear how important these are.
I wish to clearly state that these achievements and the many others that exist, such as strategic depth and spiritual influence in other countries, have turned the Islamic Republic into an attractive model. The Islamic Republic is certainly an attractive model for many nations today. Of course, we have not done enough promotions. Others propagandize against us to a great extent. The propaganda against the Islamic Republic is several times more than our own promotions. Therefore, many nations and countries are not aware of this. Thankfully, the Islamic Republic is an attractive model for those who are in contact with us and who are well-informed.
Therefore, these criteria must be considered. Those who want to make judgements about the condition of the country should not only look at the economy. The economy is only one criterion. There are other criteria as well such as security, scientific achievements, maximum use of the sanctions for innovating the country and diplomatic indicators. These are all indicators and criteria and they must be looked at. The power of a country is a system comprised of various elements which are interconnected. Failure to see this geometrical form of power and credibility makes one form wrong judgements. Therefore, the entire system must be seen. When one looks at the system in its entirety, it is satisfactory.
Of course, the enemy has certain greedy intentions. He makes some nonsensical and discouraging comments. They used to make such comments before as well, but they are voicing the same statements today too. In the beginning of the Revolution, when Saddam Hussein attacked Iran, he held an interview in the proximity of our borders – near the Ilam border. He said, “The next interview will be held next week in Tehran.” He said this. He promised himself and his audience that they would conquer Tehran the following week, where he would hold an interview.
And you saw what happened to him during and after the war. In one of the operations, Saddam Hussein was very close to being arrested by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps youth. During Fath-ul Mubin Operation, if they had gotten there half an hour earlier, they would have arrested Saddam, but he took off. He was lucky. In the end too, he suffered a miserable fate and was forced to accept Iran’s terms and later on, he even sought refuge in Iran, sent his planes one after another without our permission in subsequent events. Recently, one of these American clowns [John Bolton] said that they would celebrate Christmas in Iran. Such statements are made, but the gap between reality and what they say is really wide.
Therefore, when you see that the Americans explicitly say that the maximum pressure policy against Iran suffered a humiliating defeat, this is a very great and important issue. That arrogant, proud and overconfident US acknowledges that the maximum pressure policy against Iran suffered a humiliating defeat is a very important issue. Therefore, my dear ones, we must not become arrogant, nor should we become passive and lose our morale. We should become neither proud nor passive. These were two recommendations that I wanted to offer.
There are a few professional recommendations that I will discuss as well if it does not take long. One is about the slogan of the year which was about production with two characteristics: being knowledge-based and being capable of creating employment. They criticized me saying that these two things are not compatible with one another. They are right, in certain cases, this holds true. The more advanced technology becomes, the less will be the need for manpower. Some people sent a message asking, “Will things be like this?” My answer is yes, in certain cases this is what happens, but this does not hold true for us because we have many factories which are either closed or half-closed in downstream areas. Therefore, if companies become knowledge-based, these factories and companies will be positively affected as well. In other words, this will help increase job opportunities by several times. This is how it is. Therefore, we can create employment. Besides, new technologies have a natural tendency to expand. That is to say, the more we make progress in technological matters, the more available arenas we will have. So, creating employment will not be harmed and making production knowledge-based can be worked on along with creating job opportunities.
Another point about knowledge-based production and the response to this criticism is that should we make our production knowledge-based, we have actually raised the quality of working manpower. Who will embark on working in knowledge-based companies? Our educated youth.
Today, a large percentage of our educated youth, whose population is large, are working in fields that have nothing to do with their expertise. They have given me a figure in this regard, which is very high, but because I myself have not pursued the matter, I cannot announce it here. Things are like this. This is a grave problem. This is in fact a kind of unemployment. A youth has gone through great trouble to study, the government has spent a lot and a long time has been dedicated to his studies, but they are not benefitted from. This is a kind of unemployment. When we manage to expand knowledge-based companies, all these youths will be employed and the quality of manpower in our professional organizations will go up. Our outstanding personalities will be employed and they will no longer have to engage in occupations of less value.
One point that I deem necessary to raise about knowledge-based companies and knowledge-based production – of course, I have offered recommendations before, but I wish to add to them – is that there should be certain regulations for knowledge-based companies. It should not be the case that such and such a company which is working by using a technology that existed 40 years ago embarks on registering itself as a knowledge-based company with the purpose of, for example, benefitting from the facilities and privileges given to them. This is not correct. A knowledge-based company must innovate in the true sense of the word. There are other qualities as well, which I will explain later.
I could equally mention assembly companies and assemblers. Assembly is actually a kind of unnecessary importation in a different way. This is not production. This is not creating a product, rather it is merely a kind of importation. Such companies should not be allowed to register as a knowledge-based company. This is not correct. Therefore, there is a need for defining precise criteria and indicators for these companies. I think that this falls on the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and the other organization that is in charge of approving these companies. They must take these criteria seriously.
Another point is that in order to assess whether the country’s production has become knowledge-based or not, merely looking at the number of knowledge-based companies is not enough. In my New Year’s speech, I stressed numbers. It was said that such and such a number of companies can be established this year, but I said that there should be more. They said that such companies might increase by 30 percent, but I said that it should be 50 percent. At least 50 percent, but it could be 100 percent too. Well, this is related to quantity, which is a criterion, but it is not enough. The companies that are established must have certain characteristics which are vital and fundamental.
One of these characteristics is that there must be innovation in them. Another is that they must help reduce [foreign] currency [importation]. In the present time, in order to import certain products, we spend hugely. If a knowledge-based company manufactures this product or brings it close to manufacture, this will either reduce the expenditures or it will completely eliminate them. This is one of the criteria.
One of the criteria for knowledge-based companies is that they must create employment in the true sense of the word. They must have the capability to export. In other words, they must be competitive in the face of global products. These criteria must be specified and pursued, God willing.
Another important point is that certain priorities must be considered for the expansion of knowledge-based companies. One of the priorities, which is very important, is that such companies should be after resolving the matter. We have specific economic issues in the country. These companies must engage in resolving these issues. They must be established on the basis of the needs. In other words, there should be a need-based criterion for these companies. There are certain areas on which economic security is dependent, for example the area of agriculture. The other day, in my New Year’s speech, I said that one of our most dependent areas on imports is the agricultural area. That is while agriculture is closely linked to our food security. This is an important issue.
Regarding knowledge-based companies, we must take it into account that the economic security of the country is dependent on them, that they have a high capacity for employing non-working specialists and that they can solve the problem related to the sale of raw materials such as mines. Unfortunately, we have lots of problems in the area of mines. One of the problems is the sale of raw resources and materials. Let us exclude oil because we really have no value-added in the case of oil, but in the case of gas, we have some value-added. However, according to what experts say, it is possible to create a lot of value-added in the area of oil if downstream oil areas receive attention. The same is true of gas and mines. There are many valuable and expensive metals and stones in the country. That is while there is no value-added for them. They are exported without creating value-added. These areas are important and we must get knowledge-based companies to focus on these areas.
Another point about knowledge-based production is that we should really support knowledge-based companies. Executive organizations should support them. The most important consumer of products in the country is the administration. Well, the administration can use knowledge-based products. When I have frequently spoken about preventing unnecessary imports, one example of it is to support these companies and their products.
An important economic issue is the sale of raw materials, as mentioned before. We export raw materials at a cheap rice and then, we import the products manufactured out of those raw materials at an exorbitant price. They have written down the ratio of these two prices and the experts have also discussed this with me. There is a sharp difference. We export raw materials at cheap rice and import the final product at an expensive price. That is while we must export the final products on our own. The exports of the country must move in this direction. Products must be oriented towards this. Knowledge-based production must be ushered into this path so that we can export the final product in the case of all substances.
An important issue of the country that I have discussed with officials – now that officials from the administration and the Majlis are present here – is the issue of the 7th Development Plan. This plan should have been ratified last year and should have become the basis for the annual 1401 planning, but this did not happen. This year, you must help it reach an important point, God willing. You must work hard to prepare this plan on the basis of general policies so much so that the issue will be finalized by the administration and the Majlis, God willing.
An important issue is being present among the people as pointed out by Mr. President, which was correct. Presence among the people and provincial trips is a very valuable, good and helpful endeavor. There are certain matters that cannot be understood as long as we do not show our presence in the field, do not witness them with our own eyes, do not sound out the people who are present in the arena and do not receive news from reliable sources. As long as we do not see these things up close, we cannot plan. Therefore, presence among the people is very important.
However, a very important issue in this regard is to remain present. You must remain popular and not become tired. When I previously spoke of patience, an important example of it lies here. It should not be the case that we are popular in the beginning, but later on become tired. No, you should really remain popular. I do not mean that you should definitely continue these provincial trips until the end of your term. They might stop at some point and this is alright. Popularity is not confined to provincial trips. Being in contact with the people and hearing from them are also manifestations of popularity. Sometimes, one hears from ordinary people points that one does not hear from veteran and experienced experts and one benefits from their viewpoints more. Being in contact with the people and popular reports have this advantage.
Another point which I would like to place great emphasis on is the policies on Article 44 of the Constitution which were announced a few years ago and which everyone spoke highly of, but they have not been acted on. Different administrations have been reminded of this and they each said that they intended to act on it, but the policies on Article 44 have not been acted on in the true sense of the word.
The economy of the country must truly be in the hands of the people and the administration should only play its supervisory role without playing an executive role. This is very important. Sometimes, you put a load on your shoulder and decide to carry it from a city to another and sometimes, you put it inside a fast vehicle and you drive it. The second one is correct. The fast and active vehicle is the entrepreneurs of the country. You must activate these, but you should supervise their work, formulate policies and take care not to let a mistake be made. However, you must let them work. Both the entrepreneurs, the people and you, as government officials, will benefit from this. This is one issue.
Another issue which is very important and which is a long-term project is the issue of economic growth without oil, just like the countries which do not have any oil and which have a good rate of economic growth and progress and they are not small in number either. This addictive drug – oil – has made us addicted since a hundred years ago. It is really a difficult form of addiction. Of course, this cannot happen in the short run, rather it will happen in the long run. It is not a task that can be carried out in the space of one, two days and by one administration. If administrations show determination, this might be achieved by two eight-year administrations.
Another issue is to see where and how we must spend revenues. If there is a resolution in the case of foreign revenues from a particular area, these revenues should not be allocated to unnecessary imports, rather they must be allocated to infrastructural projects. The country needs infrastructural projects. Transportation, railroad transports, the various matters related to knowledge-based companies and transit routes with neighboring countries are the infrastructural projects that must be carried out. The country needs these. Industries must be renovated. Many of our industries are old and their renovation requires revenues. The revenues must be allocated to these things.
It should not be the case that the gate to luxury products opens as soon as we get our hands on some revenues. It is said that many of the products are entered via smuggling. Well, smuggling must be prevented as well. This is really a very great and important task. Some people import dog food and cosmetics at an exorbitant money. Not a single cent should be allocated to these things, let alone spending hugely on them. What I want to say is that we have many infrastructural tasks. The issue of the country’s water is an infrastructural task whose resolution is completely possible, but this requires money. Fortunately, we know that this administration has done very good tasks in this regard and it is an ongoing process. These tasks must be carried out. The issue of water is a very important issue.
An important opportunity that is available to the officials of the country is the economic coordination council of the three heads of government that was ratified in the previous administration and that accomplished great things. Of course, the initial important duty of the council was confined to three, four fundamental tasks one of which was the fundamental reform of the budget. Another was banking problems because these problems must be resolved first in order to be able to reform the budget. The budget structure has certain problems. And since the beginning, one of the duties of the council was the management of the efforts to confront the sanctions. This capacity must be completely benefitted from, God willing. The officials in the three branches of government must pursue this matter with a spirit of complete cooperation and friendship – of course, this cooperation thankfully exists between them. Well, these statements were related to economic matters that almost took all our time.
The vital issue of culture is very important and an intelligent endeavor in the area of science and culture is necessary and this must move in the correct direction. Primarily, committed official centers such as the Ministry of Islamic Guidance, the Organization of Islamic Promotions, the Office of Promotions, the IRIB, the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and secondly – the latter do not quite have a secondary role – cultural activists who are thankfully very large in number. Everyone must really attend to the vital issue of culture. However, this task must be fulfilled in a diligent and round-the-clock way, secondly, it must be done in an intelligent way – not in a blind and negligent manner – and [thirdly], it must move in the right direction. This was another issue.
Another issue is related to diplomacy. Well, the diplomacy of the country is thankfully moving in the right direction. A noteworthy diplomatic matter is the nuclear matter. Well, you must be following news related to the nuclear matter. As I have said before and as other government officials have said before, including Mr. President who has repeatedly stressed this matter - you must not at all wait for the nuclear negotiations when doing your planning. You must not wait for it in any way. Do your work, look at the current condition of the country and do your planning accordingly. The negotiations might reach a certain point – positive, half-positive or negative. Whatever happens, you must do your own work and you must not make your affairs contingent upon the negotiations. Fortunately, the honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and the negotiating team deliver their detailed reports to the President and the Supreme National Security Council. They are being updated on the matters and therefore, they will make a decision. They think and consider the various aspects of the matter.
Of course, it is alright to criticize these officials and express one’s viewpoint, but first of all, you should take care not to express viewpoints in a pessimistic manner. I have always said to officials in all administrations that our attitude towards the people in the middle of the arena should not be a pessimistic and cynical attitude. Well, there are pious, revolutionary, diligent and hard-working people in the arena and they are working in this regard. If one wishes to make a criticism, it has to be an optimistic, not pessimistic, one. Secondly, it must not undermine the people who are busy working in this arena. The people’s hope should not be undermined either. In other words, we should not speak in a way that the people lose their hope.
Of course, our negotiating team has thankfully resisted the other side’s bullying and by God’s favor and without any doubt, they will continue to resist. He who has broken his promises is the other side. They themselves have faced serious problems because of having violated their promises. In the present time, the other side which broke its promises and which tore the deal to pieces, as they themselves put it, is stuck in a dead end. We do not thankfully feel stuck in a dead end. We have managed to endure the hardships and pass through them. We have passed through many problems so far and we will pass through other problems from now on too, God willing.
Another issue is Palestine. I wish to raise a point in this regard: Palestine is showing that it is thankfully alive. Palestine is alive. Despite US policies and those of its followers, who wished to consign the issue of Palestine to oblivion so much so that the people forget that a land called Palestine and a nation called the Palestinian nation ever existed, the issue of Palestine has become highlighted on a daily basis. Today, Palestinian youth have become awake in the 1948 lands, not in some remote lands, rather in the center of occupied Palestine. They are moving and working hard and this will continue. It will undoubtedly continue and by God’s favor, victory will belong to the people of Palestine on the basis of the divine promise.
The same is true of the issue of Yemen. I want to offer a word of advice to the Saudis regarding the issue of Yemen. This is really a friendly and well-intentioned word of advice. Why do you continue a war which you know you will not win? Is there any chance that the Saudis will win the war in Yemen? There is no chance. With the determination of the people of Yemen, with the courage and creativity of their leaders in various arenas, there is no chance for the victory of the Saudis. Well, why should a war in which there is no chance of victory continue? You must find a way to withdraw from this war. Recently, there have been negotiations. Although it is on paper and it is a mere promise, they have announced a two-month ceasefire, which is very good. If this ceasefire is honored in the true sense of the word, even if it is for two months, this is very good and valuable and this must continue. The people of Yemen are patient people and they were really oppressed on this matter. Well, God the Exalted helps the oppressed and the resistant people of Yemen and Palestine will receive divine blessings, God willing.
I wish to raise some concluding points. Dear brothers, dear sisters, the opportunity of having a responsibility is very fleeting and it will soon come to an end. Therefore, you must appreciate the value of this opportunity. You must use every hour of it.
The second word of advice is that you should not work for the purpose of a show. You should not think of working for the sake of been seen by the people who have elected you or the people who watch you on television. This will spoil the blessedness of your work. If you think of doing something to make the people like you and if you do not think of the significance of the task in hand and of divine satisfaction, the blessedness of your work will be gone and on many occasions, you will not achieve any result either.
The third issue is the conflict of interests. I see that the term “conflict of interests” is frequently used in the Majlis. The conflict of interests does not only exist in the economy. These conflicts exist in other areas as well. If we have some interests in the people’s attention to us and if another interest is the public interests of the country, here too, there is a conflict of interests. Which one do you prioritize? If we prioritize our reputation and the people’s attention to us over the interests of the country, this is an example of a conflict of interests. We must take God into account. This is another issue.
The Majlis and the administration have specific duties on the basis of the law. In another meeting, I mentioned that these lines must be observed. Things must develop in a way that the administration has its own responsibilities for which it must be answerable. The Majlis should be answerable too so that one can judge its performance. If things get mixed up, it will become difficult to judge.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household, make our intentions pure. Make what we said, what we did and what we will say and do, serve You and Your cause.
Dear God, make our hearts brim over with the purity of our actions on Your path.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household, associate our magnanimous Imam – who opened this path to the nation and who brought us to this arena and this path – with Your prophets and saints. Make his immaculate soul satisfied with us. Make the pure souls of our dear martyrs satisfied with us. Bestow Your reward, patience, blessings and mercy on their families.
Greetings be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings
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