In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
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, especially the one remaining with God on earth
I thank God the Exalted for bestowing on me the blessing to meet with this friendly and brotherly gathering up close - after having been deprived of this for two, three years - to hear the viewpoints of the MPs through the words of the honorable Speaker of the Parliament, and to have the chance to raise certain points.
These days coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Khorramshahr. That great incident happened on a day like yesterday and I consider this a good sign. I deem it necessary to briefly explain this matter. Dear brothers, dear sisters, the liberation of Khorramshahr was not only about the recapturing of a city from the enemy. We did recapture the city, but the issue was not confined to that. That act of recapturing was only one of the symbols of the liberation of Khorramshahr. The liberation was also a vital equation to the advantage of the soldiers of Islam. This is the truth of the matter.
Prior to that, a bitter equation had taken shape. I do not forget the bitter feeling of the days when we used to work in a center in Ahwaz. A map had been put up in the room of Martyr Chamran who was the commander in charge. A number of pins, some colored blue and some red, had been stuck into the map. The blue ones were the areas in our control and the red ones were the areas occupied by the enemy. Every day, whenever there was news about a change in these areas, we would go there and take a look. I do not forget the bitterness of those days as every day, the red areas would increase. We would hear that this and that city and this military camp and that military camp was taken. They had even advanced up to 11 kilometers away from Ahwaz.
In Dezful, they had reached the Naderi Bridge. The enemy even dared cross it, but because it was an ill-advised move, militarily speaking, he retreated. They were bitter days that we continued to witness for as long as eight, nine months. That was a very bitter equation.
Then, with the Operation Thaamin-ul Aemah, the operation that put an end the siege of Abadan, that equation began to change. It was followed by Tariq-ul Quds, Fath-ul Mubin and ultimately, Bayt-ul Muqadas Operation and the liberation of Khorramshahr. The equation turned upside down. In other words, if until that day, we worried what we might lose the next day, from that day on, we were on the lookout for the things that we could achieve.
Of course, some of the operations after the liberation of Khorramshahr were successful and some were not successful but the process, generally speaking, moved towards victory, the growth of willpower and firm determination. This is the issue about the liberation of Khorramshahr. That is, Khorramshahr was in fact a symbol of a change from a bitter equation to a sweet one, through which the Iranian nation achieved salvation. Many people were not perhaps even aware of the conditions at war, but those who had information used to live in fear, bitterness and worry. With that movement, however, the people were saved.
Well, what did that national salvation stem from? What gave birth to the liberation of Khorramshahr and those incidents? I wish to highlight this matter: It stemmed from jihad, self-sacrifice, firm determination, and looking for ingenious and innovative ways. I do not know if you dear brothers have read the writings on Operation Bayt-ul Muqadas, which are fairly good. A small number of you might have been present there at that time, but most of you are young and you do not even remember those days. Some of you were not even born. Therefore, you must read these books and see what happened and what roles the martyrs who were martyred in those incidents played – some of whom are mentioned here and there, some are well-known and some are not well-known.
See what they – ranging from the commanders of a battalion, an army or a single troop – did and notice what their roles were. They had firm determination. They also had a long-term approach towards ideals. In other words, they were not confined to routine and daily matters. They were attentive, Imam had made clear comments about the war and that great incident. That was why minor and daily incidents would not occupy the minds of influential figures in that big movement and jihad. They were after long-term goals. They would follow the guidelines provided by Imam.
I referred to jihad, self-sacrifice, firm-determination. The spirit for all these factors was sincerity and purity for God and reliance on Him. They worked for God and relied on Him. As well as sincerity and reliance on God, the things that were necessary were creativity, firm determination, diligence, altruism and the things that I explained before.
What I want to say is that these factors are not confined to that particular era and incident. In all, the various incidents of the country that you are faced with – I will mention them later on – these are the main factors. That is, one should enter the field with reliance on God and with purity, and subsequently, one must show a spirit of self-sacrifice, jihad, firm determination, creativity and the pursuit of new ways. This is the case in all matters. If these factors exist, then victory will definitely follow. Notice how many issues we face at present.
I will tell you that in all the issues that we are faced with – including national and international issues, hardware and software issues – we can win thanks to these few elements: jihad in the way of God and jihadi actions, purity in the way of God, firm determination, creativity and the like.
This has been clearly mentioned by the Quran. I will recite two ayahs for you: “O believers! Shall I guide you to an exchange that will save you from a painful punishment? It is to have faith in God and His Messenger, and strive in the cause of God with your wealth and your lives. That is best for you, if only you knew. He will forgive your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow, and house you in splendid homes in the Gardens of Eternity. That is the ultimate triumph. He will also give you another favor that you long for: help from God and an imminent victory” [The Holy Quran, 61: 10-13]. If such faith, jihad and other such elements exist, then not only will you be forgiven by God, but He will also reward you with victory, which is what you are after. This victory is not only confined to victory at war, rather it includes all areas according to these ayahs. It is not confined to a military war, rather it includes all aspects of life.
Another ayah, which is at the end of Holy Sura al-Imran, says, “Our Lord! Grant us what You have promised us through Your messengers.” What is the promise made to the prophets? It was obviously the promise of victory: “Our Lord! Grant us what You have promised us through Your messengers and do not put us to shame on Judgment Day—for certainly You never fail in Your promise.” Believers say this prayer. And what does God do? “So their Lord responded to them.” God answers their prayers, saying to them, “I will never deny any of you—male or female—the reward of your deeds” [3: 194-195]. He says that He will not let your efforts and actions be wasted. You must know this. These are the principles for the movement of a believing society and a believing group of people. And this has been experienced. Sometimes, we might only read these this and accept this because of our faith, but after the Revolution until today, we have indeed experienced these things. We have witnessed them in practice. We have seen that this is indeed the case.
Well, I want to say that you are mostly young and you have a big opportunity ahead of you. By God’s favor, you have 50, 60 years ahead of you to live. In this period of time which is ahead of you, certain incidents will take place and certain issues will arise containing both favorable and unfavorable moments. Forty, fifty, sixty years is not a short time in this strange world. Many incidents might occur to you. What I want to say to you is that you should benefit from this rule in all aspects. In other words, you must do jihad, do jihadi actions and show firm determination: “Strengthen my body to serve You, strengthen my resolve, and grant me strength in my fear of You” [from Dua Kumayl]. This will help you in all the issues that will arise for you and will help you win.
Well, I spoke of jihad and self-sacrifice and I said that I would explain to you what self-sacrifice means. It does not always mean offering your life as a gift to God. Sometimes, self-sacrifice means risking one’s life at war such as at the time of the Sacred Defense Era and also the present time – in some arenas that exist, as you can witness – but this is not always the case. Self-sacrifice has a broader meaning. In many cases, self-sacrifice means not being entangled in the claws of base desires. This is our problem. We people sometimes become captives in the claws of mean urges, utterly unable to liberate ourselves. Self-sacrifice means abandoning these desires. What are these base desires? They include a wide range of things.
For example, one might want to sit above his comrade in a friendly get-together. And sometimes you might want to sit at a presiding chair at a national level. All these are desires and all are base. It is not the case that one is base and another is lofty. Both the former and the second positions are similar. They are one’s desires and both are base. Sometimes, one does something as a duty and sometimes, one refrains from something because it clashes with one’s duty and therefore, one lets it go.
The same is true of having worldly riches or gaining credibility and reputation. Sometimes, we do some things in order to have a good name among the people. This is becoming captive in the claws of base desires. We must eschew these things. Of course, no one says that worldly riches, governmental positions and service to the people are bad. None of these are bad. Neither worldly possessions and governmental positions nor social reputation is bad. All these are good. It is completely alright to pursue these and request these of God. Our prayers are filled with requests for such things. The issue is that sometimes, we have a certain duty which may clash with one of these desires. There, we must trample on our desires. Self-sacrifice means this.
Well, these were the pieces of advice that I wanted to offer to you dear brothers. Of course, I myself am addressed by these statements more than all of you. I need these words of advice more than you and I hope that God the Exalted will settle in my heart this advice that I offered to our brothers.
As for the Parliament, well, the Islamic Consultative Assembly is one of the main pillars of the management of the country. One of the main pillars of the management in the country is the Parliament. Among the main and fundamental pillars of the management of the country, one of the main ones is the Parliament. Even if you are an MP from a distant and sparsely populated city, you must have such a viewpoint about the Parliament. You have such a position in the management of the country and you form one of its main pillars. The management of the country has several sides. One of the sides is the Islamic Consultative Assembly. There are other sides as well – for example, the three branches of government, the Armed Forces and the like – but an important side of it is the Parliament. This is how important it is. One must look at the Parliament with this viewpoint. Both people outside and inside the Parliament must have this viewpoint about the Parliament.
Well, the management of the country, which you are a part of, is a very difficult, complex, demanding and important task: the management of a country with the condition of dear Iran. What does the condition of dear Iran mean? It means the size, population, geography, history and diverse climate of the country. These are the qualities of our country, qualities which have placed Iran among important and exceptional countries in the world. This is the truth of the matter. You want to manage such a country.
So, naturally, the management of the country is a difficult task. This difficulty increases in particular because of the circumstances that exist in today’s world. Today, there are circumstances in the world which make management difficult not only for us, but also for all countries. What are these circumstances? I will mention the important parts: hostile rivalries between superpowers – for example, atomic powers look one another in the eye and threaten one another. This is an important issue. This brings about very sensitive circumstances for the world.
I could equally mention the existence of military moves in a sensitive part of the world. You know that Europe is one of the most warmongering regions in the world. According to my own research, which may not be complete, I know no region in the world with the size of Europe which has witnessed as many wars as the ones in Europe. There is no other region like Europe in any way. Europe is definitely a warmongering region.
Well, the last examples are the two world wars taking place in Europe. Those wars originated from that region, occupying the attention of the whole world and destroying tens of millions of individuals. Prior to that, the various wars between Germany, France, England, Italy and other countries. There used to be wars continuously. That is, Europe is an important warmongering region in the world. In the present time too, a war has taken place in this warmongering region. This brings about sensitive circumstances for the world. This is a very important point: increasing military threats.
I can also refer to the pandemic. This is something that has very few precedents or that is completely unprecedented. Such a disease has engulfed the whole world. There is no area in the world which is free of this disease. This is another important point.
The same is true of food threats at a global level. Sometimes, there is famine and food shortages in Africa or another part of the world, but nowadays, this is not the case. Today, there is a food threat throughout the world. Notice that the circumstances in the world at present are special circumstances. The circumstances that exist today are rare. Well, management becomes difficult and complicated for all countries in such circumstances.
Of course, we have another issue as well. As well as these, Islamic Iran is faced with another issue which is we have introduced a new idea to international discussions: religious and Islamic democracy. This is a new idea. We have introduced this to the political studies and discourse of the world. This looks like a simple term, but what is the truth behind it? The truth behind is what has instigated the enmity and hostility of top-tier powers against this discourse, this term, this truth and this phenomenon.
To put it otherwise, this movement in the Islamic Republic has managed to disrupt the well-established order of the system of domination. The system of domination had drawn a specific order for managing the world. I have defined the system of domination many times: it means the division of the world into the oppressor and the oppressed without any middle ground. Some people must surely be oppressors and some must definitely be oppressed. This is the system of domination.
They laid out a specific order for the world. One day, this took on the shape of colonialism, another day, it assumed the shape of neocolonialism and yet another day, it wore the mantle of post-neocolonialism. They arranged a well-defined order and policy for the world, but the Islamic Republic’s new idea has come and disrupted this order. That is why they are opposed to it.
Well, you are members of the Parliament and you are well-informed. You know how many databases, internet websites and television and satellite channels are working against the Islamic Republic, how much money is being spent every day and how many individuals and brains are thinking about the Islamic Republic in their so-called think tanks. This is how it is. Of course, the Islamic Republic has stood up to them, has held up its head and is taking long steps and moving forward. They did not succeed.
Therefore, the management of the country is not an easy task. What I am saying is that you are involved in this management. This causes all constituents of this management to increase their vigilance. You are managers and must know what you are doing. The same is true of the administration, the judiciary branch and various other organizations. Anyone with a part in this management must know what a great and important task they have undertaken.
Well, first of all, we must be aware of our capabilities. Secondly, we must gain a correct understanding of our shortcomings. We must have knowledge of both our capabilities and shortcomings. As is commonly said in Farsi, we must identity Esfandyar’s eyes in ourselves [reference to a character in the Shahnameh whose weak point was his eyes]. We must know where we are vulnerable and take care of it. Besides, we must try not to make mistakes. More than relying on his own capabilities, the enemy has pinned his hopes on our mistakes. He hopes that we make a mistake. As military personalities say, we must take care not to let go of our flanks. You are faced with an enemy. If you show ignorance, allowing the enemy to encircle you or attack you from a certain flank, you can do nothing. One of the things that military commanders take care not to let happen is giving the enemy the opportunity to attack from a certain flank. We must take care not to let the enemy flank us. Well, these statements were about the general issues of the Parliament.
I described this Parliament as a revolutionary parliament, but some people did not like this description. I said the truth. Now, some people may like it and some may not like it, but it is alright. The truth was that this Parliament was formed with revolutionary slogans. The people looked at the candidates and chose those ones whose moves, orientations, slogans and remarks were revolutionary. Therefore, the people advocate the orientation and movement whose slogans were chanted by you as revolutionary figures in your own cities and provinces. So, a revolutionary Parliament has such a definition.
Revolutionary slogans are to the advantage of the country. Contrary to what some people say – that revolutionary slogans are a source of trouble for the country – the Revolution, revolutionary slogans and revolutionary ideals – which we have not attained yet – are a cure for the pains of the country. They are not a source of trouble, rather they are a cure for the problems. The Revolution is like this. Some people might have an opinion and they express it in cyberspace, in newspapers and such and such a publication. This is alright, but the truth of the matter is that the movement was a revolutionary movement. The Parliament is a revolutionary one.
Of course, dear brothers, dear sisters, an important point is to remain revolutionary. This meeting is a private, friendly and brotherly meeting. I remember vividly that there were some people in the year 1358, when I was a member of the Council of the Revolution and when I had not become president yet, who would speak passionately and excitedly about their revolutionary zeal and they addressed these to people like who were the children of the Revolutionary with such and such a revolutionary background. And we were dazzled by their zeal! As westerners say, they were “super-revolutionary”, but later on, they returned from their path and did not remain revolutionary. Despite their orientation and behavior, they failed to continue the path and they did not have the patience and endurance to continue.
Notice that the truth of the matter is that they could not endure. If someone pretends that they looked at the options and found some better than the others, this is not at all the case. Taking this path and remaining on it required endurance, something which they did not have.
If my memory serves me right, Imam (may God bestow paradise on him) said something about this ayah of Sura al-Hud: “So be steadfast as you are commanded O Prophet, along with those who turn in submission to God with you” [The Holy Quran, 11: 112]. It says that both the Prophet and those who with him moved on the path of God should be steadfast. This is what I think the ayah says, I did not have the chance to go look it up. Imam said, “When the Holy Prophet said, ‘Sural al-Hud has made me old’ it means that this is really difficult: “So be steadfast as you are commanded.’” One should stay and continue the path. Notice that remaining revolutionary is more difficult than become revolutionary and having a revolutionary orientation. This is the case at an individual and collective level.
What is revolutionary? Previously, I enumerated some of the characteristics of revolutionary MPs. You are thankfully successful individuals. God the Exalted has bestowed on you the blessing of being in the Parliament and you are doing a good job. I listened to the report prepared by Mr. Qalibaf. Of course, I took a look at the exhibition and the photos explaining the report outside this Hussainiyyah. I have also read the reports delivered earlier. You are thankfully working, but it will be good to offer advice because we should know what we should do in order to remain revolutionary. I have written down some characteristic in this regard:
The first one is leading a simple lifestyle. One must not become a prisoner of materialistic trifles and aristocratic lifestyle. Before you entered the Parliament, you used to live a particular life. Now that you have come to the Parliament, you must not think that now that you are MPs, you should live such and such a life. No, you must live the same simple life that you used to have.
Another characteristic is to take good care of the trust in your hands. This is very important. The ayah that our dear qari recited says, “Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they all declined to bear it, being fearful of it. But humanity assumed it” [33: 72]. Humans accepted the trust, the divine trust. Part of the divine trust is what you have assumed. You must take good care of this trust.
Another characteristic is to be responsible. If you ratify a law and if you believe it is a good law that had to be ratified, you must stand firm and affirm that you did it. It should not be the case that you say to yourselves, “Well, we have ratified this law, but the Guardian Council will reject it. So, let them be responsible for that. We know that it is not a practical law.” Some laws are like this. I myself used to be an MP and I know the structure of the Parliament. Sometimes, one knows that such and such a law cannot be enforced by the administration because of its resources and circumstances and one might say, “Let us pass it and when the administration fails to enforce it, the people will accuse it and hold it responsible.” This is not a correct attitude. You must be responsible.
Another characteristic is to be popular. What does popularity mean? It means meeting and being in contact with ordinary people, being willing to listen to their demands and having the power to clarify things for them. If we show our presence among a group of people who have a certain demand and if we listen to them and then say, “You are absolutely right, and those who do not listen to and meet your demands are like this and that”, this is not enough.
Sometimes, there is a knot in the minds of the people and you must untie it. When I spoke about the jihad of clarification, it includes this. There are some problems. For instance, a class of people have a certain demand. Well, you are members of the Parliament and you are aware of the country’s revenues and you know that the demand cannot be satisfied. When you know that it is not possible to meet the demand, you should not wait for such and such an executive or judiciary official to come and say that it is not possible. You yourselves must say it. You must have the ear to listen to the people’s demands and the tongue to explain things to the people. Two, three individuals who are present among the crowd of people there might say, “Go away! This person is not up to the task either.” Well, it is alright if they say these things, but you should do your duty. This is what popularity means. When we speak of popularity, this does not mean that we should merely say that we are advocates of the people. No, we must help the people. Help means listening to them, meeting their demands if possible and enlightening their minds if there is a problem that cannot be resolved.
Another characteristic is to pursue the ways to solve the main problems of the country. You must really look into the main problems of the country and follow them up. Let me say it more clearly. There are major problems and minor problems. As long as we have major problems ahead of us, there will not be time to attend to minor problems. Pursuing the minor problems, as long as we have major problems ahead of us, is not good. We must be after resolving the main and fundamental problems. You should categorize issues into major and minor.
You must seriously avoid discrimination and corruption. Sometimes, we say that we are seriously opposed to corruption. Well, everyone is opposed to it. All of us are opposed to it, but sometimes, the opposition towards corruption and discrimination concerns other people. We ourselves must take care and pay serious attention to corruption and discrimination in the case of others and in the case of ourselves too.
Another characteristic is to genuinely cooperate with other officials in charge of managing the country. One of the problems of the country has been lack of coordination and cooperation among the officials of the three branches of government and their affiliated organizations. Sometimes, officials are on good terms, they sit together and reach an agreement, but the affiliated organization do not reach an agreement. This makes the management of the country problematic. This is something that we have experienced over the years. There must be genuine cooperation. There should not be a spirit of quid pro quo and meaningless tension. There must be genuine cooperation with the administration, the judiciary branch and others. Officials must cooperate with everyone they are involved with for the sake of the progress of the country. If we witness a mistake in another official, we must explicitly mention it, but wherever cooperation is necessary, we must cooperate.
One of the characteristics of a revolutionary MP is that they are with the masses of the people, but they do not get carried away. I will tell you that you should never get carried away. One of our problems in the course of these years was that we sometimes got carried away. For example, some high-ranking officials of the country participated in a meeting with university professors. One of them demands something and one of these officials makes a big concession, which is not appropriate, to them. These are things that have happened and I myself protested to them. They made that concession to them in that very meeting. This is an instance of getting carried away, which is of no use and which is harmful.
Being with the people is different from populism and from getting carried away due to the circumstances. One of the most important characteristics of Imam (may God bestow paradise on him) was this. If he held a viewpoint which everyone was opposed to, but which he believed in because it was based on divine and religious rules, he would stand firm. He would say, “Even if the whole world is opposed to me, it will not change my viewpoint.” The Quran issues the same command to the Holy Prophet, “If you were to obey most of those on earth, they would lead you away from God’s way” [6: 116].
This has been repeated many times in the Quran. A revolutionary MP is a person who does not get carried away. You have passed a law and you find it a good one and some people have now protested. Of course, naturally, you should see whether the opponents have a good reason or not. If they have a good reason, you should surely accept it. However, if they do not have a solid argument, you must say, “Yes, I have passed this law and I will stand by it.” If they create uproar in cyberspace against the Parliament, your group of people and your law, this should not bring you to your knees. This is one of the characteristics of revolutionary MPs.
Another characteristic is to be committed to the Constitution. One of the very important aspects of parliamentary work is commitment to the Constitution. Where the Constitution specifies an obligation, it must definitely be observed. The Constitution should not be violated even in the slightest way possible. Of course, the obligation to compare the laws with the Constitution falls on the Guardian Council, but you too can look into it in certain cases. There are some examples of this. These are some of the characteristics of revolutionary MPs and you must know that I am an advocate of revolutionary MPs and hold them in high regard.
One of the things that is not sign of being a revolutionary MP is delivering angry and protest speeches during the breaks. This is something that some gentlemen do. If someone stands up there and begins to protest, this is not a sign of being revolutionary in any way. The signs of being revolutionary are the things that I mentioned. Holding a protest in an angry way is not a sign of being revolutionary.
Of course, in the last two years, this Parliament has done some valuable work. the things that Mr. Qalibaf – the honorable Speaker of the Parliament – pointed to are very valuable. Of course, I am aware of some of these actions in a detailed way and I am partially aware of some others, but not in a detailed way. In the case of those actions too, I took a look at the explanatory photos put up at the exhibition. These are very valuable, but I have some recommendations regarding legislation:
One recommendation is that you must pass laws by adopting a long-term approach. If as soon as an issue of small or medium-size importance arises, we pass a proposal for which the administration does not have a bill – I will expand on these proposals later on – this will lead to the accumulation of laws which will create certain legal problems. Then, we will need to reform them, in the case of which you have done good things in the past two years. So, the accumulation of laws is not a good thing. When the Parliament wants to pass a law, it must adopt a long-term and comprehensive outlook. Not any small matter requires the ratification of a law. This is one point.
Another matter is that the laws originating from general policies must be held important. According to the Constitution, general policies are announced to the heads of the three branches of government. The general policies of the Islamic Republic are announced to the administration, the Parliament and the judiciary branch, each of which has certain responsibilities towards them. The responsibility of the Parliament is to carry out legislation in line with, not against, these policies. Well, this is very important and you must pay attention to it.
For example, the general policies on elections have been announced five, six years ago. I think Mr. Qalibaf pointed this out as well. It is five, six years now that they have been announced, but no laws have been passed for them. This must be carried out. The same is true of the general policies on legislation. There are policies for that as well. These policies have been closely examined and studied. I think, it is two, three years now that they have been announced, but no laws have been passed for them. This is another recommendation.
Another recommendation is about parliamentary proposals. Well, you may feel a void and the administration has not presented or is not willing to present a bill, for example. This is what happened in certain cases. A few years ago, after the formation of a Parliament, the MPs came to me, complaining that the administration had not presented any bill to them for around five, six months. Well, this is one of the responsibilities of the Parliament. When there is an essential matter for which there is no bill on the part of the administration, the Parliament must present proposals. This is one of the rights of the Parliament. It is both a right and an obligation to put forward proposals.
Of course, this must be done according to the conditions specified in the Constitution. However, I want to add that you should not let these proposals overly increase. It is problematic to put forward many proposals. I have heard – I have not had the chance to ask Mr. Qalibaf about this – that in this Parliament, too many proposals have been prepared. This is not good. When you put forward a proposal which is ratified and entrusted to the administration, the administration will, for example, say that it cannot enforce it for whatever reason. Then, your responsibility loses its value. Should this happen, one cannot say to the administration why they did not act on it or say to the Parliament why it ratified a law that was not implementable. In such circumstances, your responsibility becomes meaningless.
Another recommendation is about proposal congestion. One of the problems with proposals is that when a new Parliament is formed, they often put aside the proposals put forward by previous parliaments. They even do so in the case of very urgent proposals. They put aside one-star and sometimes, even two-star proposals. In other words, when a new Parliament is formed, they put aside a proposal put forward by the previous Parliament with much effort and thinking dedicated to it and on which the current Parliament has been updated. So much effort, thinking and time is wasted. Moreover, when there is a plethora of proposals, it becomes difficult to do expert work. If you want to do careful expert work on so many proposals, this is a gigantic task. This is another issue.
Another issue is about the budget which was pointed out by Mr. Qalibaf as well. To be fair, the budget has not been reformed. One problem is that the wrong structure of the budget has not been reformed. Part of this falls on the administration and part of it falls on the Parliament. Of course, I should point this out to the administration more than to you. I have done so, of course, and I will continue to point this out to them, God willing, but you too have a part to play.
One of the things that the Parliament can do regarding the budget is not to add to the budget deficiency. This means the addition and inclusion of expenditures without carefully examining the revenues and sources for covering those expenditures. Sometimes, it is not even clear if such sources exist. Sometimes, it occurs that the sources for the budget are imaginary and not based on the reality. Well, these sources are as fictitious as the expenditures are real. This only adds to the budget deficiency. Budget deficiency is the mother of all vices. Many of our great economic problems result from budget deficiency. This is another matter.
Another issue is that you must strengthen the expert body of the Parliament. One, two, three years ago, I said a complimentary thing about the research center of the Parliament. The research center is very important. You must strengthen the research center as much as you can. That is, expert work must be done in a powerful way both in the research center and in the specialist commissions. This is a very important matter. Of course, I do not remember this much, but the reports that we have recently received from the research center are not very encouraging.
An important matter is the seventh plan of development which you must prepare. The seventh plan means that you should determine the fate of the country for the next five years. The seventh plan is one year overdue. It must have been completed last year, but it was not completed. In five-year plans, and as is commonly said, in development plans – I do not agree with the word development, but it is common anyway – it is useless to insert some generalities. Sometimes, there are a lot of generalities in development plans and every action and every taste can be inserted in it. This is of no value. A plan must clearly show the path and give options to the executive organizations and all other officials of the country. In my opinion, the way to do so is to make the seventh plan problem-oriented. One of the points which is important regarding the seventh plan is to adopt a problem-oriented approach.
Of course, this is one of the duties of the administration as well. The administration should pay attention to this. We will point this out to the executive officials as well, but you too must pay attention to it, God willing. Let us take the case of mines. Well, we are behind on the case of mines. One of our fundamental problems is the issue of mines. There are so many valuable mines in the country while the country is deprived of 90 percent, I am not saying 100 percent, of their benefits. Some mines remain untapped and some of the minerals are exported without any value-added. Well, you must draw up a plan for mines – this is an issue in the country anyway. For example, you can refer to it as the mining plan, industrial plan and the like.
When a group of industrialists came here a while ago, I asked them what the industrial plan is, what we are going to do about industries in the next few years and where the general plan, which shows our strategy on industries, is. We do not have such a plan and such a document. The same is true of agriculture. These plans must be devised by considering the resources of the country and various other matters including spatial planning. When spatial planning is ignored, then we will set up a factory where we should not or we plant something somewhere we should not. This is what happens. The same is true of our mines. Therefore, adopting a problem-oriented approach towards a plan – which should also be scientific, which should take spatial planning into account and which should consider the resources of the country – is one of the ways to make the five-year plan beneficial.
Another recommendation is clarification by making use of the media. You speak of the national media. The national media surely have certain duties, but they might sometimes carry out their duties and sometimes, they do not carry them out. You yourselves are also responsible in this regard. For instance, you draw up a draft, study and work on it and then pass it with a lot of noise, but you do not explain to the people what the law is and why it was ratified. When you do not give an explanation, some individuals will have the opportunity to create uproar against the law, discouraging you from ratifying it. This is what will happen. Therefore, clarifying laws via the media is one of the things that you MPs must undertake.
Another issue that is important to me is the Supreme Audit Court. Thankfully, in recent years, the Supreme Audit Court has become agile and active. In other words, the budget settlement reports are prepared in their due date. This is very good. Recently, they have also looked into governmental companies. This must continue. Some governmental companies are being examined by the Supreme Audit Court. If this is extended to all governmental companies – this is just an idea of mine, you must think on it – and if you can do so, in my opinion this will be one of the great achievements of your Parliament.
I wish to reiterate a point. When we were coming here, Mr. Qalibaf said to me that some of his colleagues have become upset at what I said recently about the interference of MPs in the appointments and other such issues. I do not want to make you upset and I love you very much and want your best interests, but you should really not interfere in appointments [audience laughs].
He said that some of our parliamentary friends did not like this. This should not be the case. Notice that if you put forward a name to a minister for the position of a governor, governor-general or general manager or if God forbid, you pressure him to appoint an individual, this will cause us not to know who to blame if that official has a bad performance. Neither the people nor the judiciary branch will not know who to blame: whether the minister in charge or the MPs for pressuring the minister.
Why would you do that? An important matter in the Constitution is the issue of separating the duties of the three branches. This signifies that you must let them do their job and they should let you do your job. If there is a problem, you should express it in the right way. Of course, I have always offered this advice to executive officials. I have always offered this advice and would like to offer it again: they should benefit from the viewpoints of MPs. An MP comes from a certain city and they know the issues of that city. Therefore, it would be good to consult them on the matter. Executive managers should do this and you should also observe this point. In my opinion, this is very important.
Another issue is about individuals’ reputation. You must protect individuals’ reputation. The Parliament’s medium is different from such and such an internet website and social network because the Parliament is an important and responsible center. However, one sometimes sees that some individuals use the parliamentary medium to say something about an individual that has not been examined. Well, this sin cannot be cleaned. How do want to clean it? If later, it is proven that the opinion expressed was wrong, how does one want to make up for it? It is very difficult. Of course, it is possible to make up for it, but it is very difficult. So, you must take care not to do this.
My last statement is that dear brothers, dear sisters, you have a responsibility. The more responsibility we have, the more attached we must become to God. You should not forget about praying and supplicating before God and reciting the Quran. This is a necessary task and it will help you. This will endear you before God and His servants. You must ask God the Exalted for help and rely on him. You must ask the Imams (greetings be upon them) to intercede on your behalf and through the Imams, you should ask God the Exalted to answer your prayers. God the Exalted will bless you and your work. I hope that God the Exalted will bestow success on all of you, God willing.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household, make us familiar with our responsibilities. Help us carry out our duties. Dear God, make what we said and what we heard serve You and Your cause and make it an instrument for the progress of our work. Dear God, associate the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam, the pure souls of our dear martyrs – including that of the martyr who was martyred the day before yesterday and who was from Mianeh (may God bestow paradise on him) – with the Holy Prophet and raise their position on a daily basis.
Greetings be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings
Comment