Khamenei.ir

In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Pure Progeny, particularly the remnant of God on earth.

The report we listened to from Mr. Raisi, the honorable President, and also the rest of the gentlemen whom we have listened to, have been very beneficial. Let us remember our dear martyrs, Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar. These two men were truly and honestly two equal leaders of the Islamic Revolution. Both of them – well, I worked alongside both of them for many years, especially Mr. Bahonar - I knew them and saw them up close in person. The Almighty God rewarded them with martyrdom. It would have truly been a pity if these people had died a death other than martyrdom. Let us remember them.

Government Week has two functions, one of which is often neglected. I shall talk about both of these functions. The first function of Government Week is the issue of “remembering.” Like remembering Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar, and remembering the events that took place during the Revolution. Remembering stands opposite to neglect. It stands opposite to forgetfulness, which in itself is a great disease. Negligence and forgetfulness are great diseases. “You can only warn someone who follows the Reminder” [Qur’an, 36:11]. Reminder is the word for Zikr. Or [in another verse], “We have sent down to you a Book in which there is an admonition for you” [Qur’an, 21:10]. One of the most important issues that religions pursue is creating awareness in people. It removes neglect from them. It takes away their forgetfulness and their forgetful nature.

Events have taken place before our eyes. Now some of you young people may not have witnessed these events, or you may not remember them clearly. Those important, history-making events, the excitement of the people at the beginning of the Revolution, the confusion and astonishment of the Arrogant Powers in the face of this great movement that was unexpected for them, and then the start of the hostilities and the different things that happened to the nation one after another - these things should be remembered. [We must] realize the situation we are in. The skies of Tehran were occupied by Saddam’s planes, and we had no way to confront them. Their pilots would sit inside a fighter plane and pass over Tehran without having to worry about anything, and we weren’t able to do anything. They would either drop bombs or break the sound barrier to ridicule the Iranian nation. That was [the situation] our skies were in. On the ground, in the alleys, and in the streets, there was terrorism. They would go into people’s homes and assassinate them. They’d assassinate soldiers, businessmen, and shopkeepers. Widespread insecurity prevailed all over the country. We’re not going to forget these. These things have passed, and the Iranian nation and the system of the Islamic Republic overcame them with power and honor.

Let’s not forget the ups and downs. Let’s not forget the splendors, the unpleasantness, the ups and the downs, the performance of governments from the beginning of the Revolution until today, the different ways that governments have performed, the Parliaments, and the likes of these. 

The next matter is the presence of the people. In all these periods, the people have been the main heroes of the story and in the history of the Revolution. There are these splendid marches, the impressive presence of the public, their presence at the fronts during the Holy Defense during that eight years [of war] and on the rest of the fronts, and the revolutionary marches that take place [annually] on the 22nd of Bahman (Feb. 11th) and Quds Day. There are also the events that took place on the 23rd of Tir (July 14, 1999) and the 9th of Dey (June 30, 2009). These are amazing things. In all these situations, the people have been the ones who have been able to create something incredible out of this. We need to remember these and let’s count on these today. We need to learn from these. We need to learn how to behave with this nation. We need to learn how people should be treated.

Whenever the Islamic Republic needed people to be present on the scene, they voluntarily showed up without anyone asking them to. Remember the funeral procession for Martyr Soleimani? Or the funeral procession that took place in Isfahan two or three days ago? Much can be understood from these. They show the direction [the people] are heading in. They show us the way. The Ghadir event in Tehran was a remarkable occurrence and other such events. [The people] have always been a part of these. These shouldn’t be forgotten. The commemoration of Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar during Government Week is an example of this. It’s a sign for us to cherish “remembering.” We need to cherish remembering itself. Remembering is very important. It’s something we need to practice

Another purpose of Government Week is the opportunity it provides to address the government that is at work. This means we need to deal with the current issues facing the government. We need to think and talk about this. We need to think about strengths and weaknesses. Those who ponder over matters should think about these things and learn from them. This is a great custom that we have Government Week every year. It’s an opportunity to think, talk and make decisions about government affairs. Now, about this second purpose, I would like to talk about some things in two parts. God willing, I shall try to speak about these matters briefly.

The first is in reference to some of the achievements you’ve made. [I mean] the things that in my opinion are truly some of the successes you’ve achieved. Apart from this, there’s the report of the practical work that the gentlemen have mentioned, some of which are very important. But please allow me to present my view of your achievements. I would also like to make a few suggestions in one part.   

With regards to achievements, I believe the most important thing this government has achieved is that it has revived hope and trust in people. This is your greatest achievement. Both the President and the officials in different departments have given the people this feeling that the government is out there in the field and it is busy working and struggling to solve problems and provide services to them. These [measures] have revived hope and trust in the people to a great extent. In some cases, these efforts have also had tangible results that the people have witnessed themselves. For example, [improvements in] the health sector, diplomacy, and some cultural sectors, etc. have shown clear, distinct results. Some of these have achieved results, therefore people need to be shown these results. There have been results, but people need to be told about the results and the outcomes. In some cases, the efforts made have not yet come to fruition; however, it can be sensed that work is being done. To me, these things are your greatest accomplishment.

One of the other achievements you’ve made may be seen in your provincial trips. These are truly brilliant. It’s a very important matter that this Administration has made 31 trips to various points across the country in just 11 months - to deprived and remote areas. Some rare things have taken place, and a deep empathy has been shown toward the people. Their problems have been monitored and assessed in the field. This is very important, and I shall talk about this again in the recommendations I make that are associated with this matter.

One of the other achievements you’ve made has been your quick response when dealing with unforeseen events such as floods and other disasters that have taken place. This speed in your actions is very important. This is of great value that an official rushes immediately to the scene whenever there’s an earthquake or a flood somewhere, and they monitor and organize the relief work that needs to be carried out there. When the President returned from his trip abroad, he immediately went to Kerman to visit those who’d been affected by the floods. His Minister also spent several days monitoring the work that was being done. These are important matters. This is one of your accomplishments. It shows the Administration’s empathy toward people and their presence on the field [to get the job done]. That is an accomplishment. I’m not mentioning these accomplishments just to praise you. What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t give up on this kind of work. Make sure you don’t stop doing this. Keep it up.

Another accomplishment you’ve made is that you’ve removed all negative competition from the relations between the three powers [Executive, Judicial and Legislative systems]. I believe this is an important matter. It’s bad for the government, the Parliament, and the Judiciary to constantly clash with each other and complain. Such actions worry people. Today, we feel there’s agreement and that a kind of empathy exists. Of course, this part and this work is one of the things that both the government and the Parliament must take care of and maintain. It’s a fragile matter. This is one of the things that is not really in your control or in the Parliament’s control. Certain individuals may come and create a commotion and create sedition among you. You need to try and preserve this empathy and consensus. The government, the Parliament, and the Judiciary all need to be mindful of this. You need to be careful.

Another of your achievements has been your employing the youth in the country’s executive sectors. This is a great move, for it opens the worn-out circle of managers replacing them with a new force. This breathes new life into the country’s executive bodies. This is a fantastic thing that’s happened. Continue with it. I must also add though that I understand and have observed that previously, when I constantly talked about the youth, I knew that they too might make mistakes in certain cases. In both the Administration and in the Parliament, young people do make mistakes, but the benefits outweigh the costs of these mistakes. It is worth preserving the Executive or Legislative body of the country being governed by youthful spirits, instead of worrying about a few mistakes that they might make in certain cases. By the will of God, these mistakes will gradually be resolved. This will result in good, strong leaders. This was another of your accomplishments.

Another great achievement this Administration has made is that it has brought our society out of a state of expectation. It has turned people’s gaze away from foreigners. It has come out of the state of continuously waiting to see what others have to say about us, or what they will decide for us, or what they’re going to do. Importance has been given to domestic capacities, reliance has been placed on these, and work is being done. Some people say we should definitely have relations with a certain country in order to solve our problems, but this is very harmful to our country. Relying on others and waiting for them to solve the country’s issues is the wrong approach. Thankfully, such a thing has been minimized to a great extent in your Administration.

Another great achievement you’ve made is that this government has refrained from blaming others and making excuses, and it has accepted responsibility for the actions it has taken. During this time, we haven’t heard any government official say, “They won’t let us do anything. We don’t have any authority or such, and such is out of our hands.” We haven’t heard these things from you. Accepting responsibility for your actions is truly important. You say, “We are here, we need to get the job done, and we will get the job done.” This is a very positive, important point. 

Another important point [is that] good approaches are being taken in the fields of foreign policy and culture. Now, these approaches, especially in cultural fields, will take time to be implemented, but they’re positive approaches. They need to be followed up. They are another of your accomplishments.

The slogans of the Revolution have gained emphasis, as have the slogans of Islam, slogans such as: seeking justice, avoiding luxuries, supporting the oppressed, and standing against arrogance. These are the main slogans of the Revolution. These matters have been emphasized and become clearer in people’s speech, and this is a great thing. Continue with this. Try to continue with these accomplishments. I shall talk about these more when I am making my recommendations. In any case, consistent work is needed in all fields. This was about the first part, your achievements.

As for my recommendations, I have a few suggestions. My first word of advice which I have given to most of the governments that have been formed in recent years [is] that first of all you should be grateful to God for blessing you with the opportunity to serve people. The fact that you’re in a position where you can serve these nice people, these religious people, and this Islamic country, is truly a great blessing. Be grateful to God for this blessing.

The first way we can show our gratitude for this blessing is to strengthen our relationship with God through prayers, taking recourse to God, and paying attention. Don’t stop doing these things. Don’t use the excuse of having too much work to do, which is true. Don’t let that interfere with your relationship with God, your prayers, your recommended actions, your recitation of the Qur’an, and the likes of these. This is one of the ways you can show your gratitude. Another way is to put the effort and to struggle to make people’s lives better, which thank God you’re already doing. Continue with this struggle. That’s my first recommendation is for you to be grateful.

My second recommendation is to do the work – i.e., the things you are doing – with the intention of pleasing God. Putting on a show so that people can know what you’re doing, see what you’re doing, or expecting them to praise you, will take away the blessings from the work you do. Be sincere in your work, “So whoever expects to encounter his Lord – let him act righteously, and not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord” [Qur’an 18:110]. Don’t associate anyone with God. Do the work [to please] God. Serving people is something that pleases God. Say, “Dear Lord, I am doing this job to serve the people in order to please You.” Be sincere when you do your job. It will bring blessings to your work.

Of course, being sincere doesn’t mean you shouldn’t inform people about the things you do. Informing people is not contradictory to sincerity. We also have a narration saying that there is nothing wrong with someone wanting people to find out he/she is doing something good. There’s an authentic narration on this [Kafi, vol. 2, p. 297].  You need to let people know about these things. People’s hope and their trust in you will increase with this information. However, [the work] should be done to please God.

My third recommendation is the issue of being present among the people. Don’t stop doing this. Some people might dramatize it and put labels on it, but I’m not going to repeat these now. Don’t get caught up in these things. Go and see the people, hear what they have to say, and be patient. Human beings tend to get tired sometimes, and that’s something that I too have experienced. There are times when you may really be tired, but be patient. The frequent presence of the President among the people brings many blessings and positive effects, and the same goes for other government officials.

Of course, you say you are a “government of the people.” A government of the people doesn’t mean that you should just go among the people. This is necessary, but it is not enough. You should be able to get the people involved in the different work and in different departments. I’ve said this before. I think I may have mentioned this in your presence. You need to sit down and plan how you can attract the people’s participation. You need to define how you can get people involved, whether it’s in financial and economic areas, or in political fields. You need to figure out how you can use people’s thoughts and opinions in different sectors. This needs planning. In the many letters that I receive in communicating with people and the such, sometimes I see some suggestions that are very good. A person whom we may not know can sometimes suggest or give their opinion on something. This can be very beneficial at times. [Consider] how we can make use of these.

My next recommendation is to keep your promises. Consider this to be an obligation, like your daily prayers. If there’s something that you’re not sure you can do, don’t promise that you’ll do it. Only make promises that you’re certain you can keep, and make sure you fulfill them. In the same way that being among the people and working for them creates hope and trust, not fulfilling your promises does the exact opposite. It causes people to lose hope and even become doubtful about the things that you’ve accomplished in other fields. [This happens] when you tell people we’ll do this and that in this city or in this area, but later you may realize you can’t fulfill this promise and you fail to do so.

Sometimes, certain situations may unexpectedly arise that prevent you from keeping your promises. In these cases, explain the situation to the people so they can understand. Nonetheless, don’t make promises thinking we’ll explain to the people whenever we can’t keep our promises. That is not your goal. Your goal is to keep your promises, to fulfill them, and to make sure they come about.

You and I all know that there’s an extensive front line of the enemy that has been formed by the Arrogant Powers and their followers. It is standing against the Islamic Republic and against you who are the heads of the Executive Branch. They will use your smallest unfulfilled promises against you, and they will use widespread propaganda against you. They know how to use propaganda to attack the people’s trust and their cooperation with you. Therefore, don’t make promises you can’t keep, and be sure to fulfill the promises that you have made. 

My next recommendation is to be careful not to become drowned in everyday affairs. The government should have a general operational plan for the country’s affairs in front of itself, and it probably does. Go forward according to this plan, according to this general plan. Go forth in a way that the enemies can’t say that the government doesn’t have a general plan. You should truly have a clear general plan based on the country’s major issues in front of you that you can explain to the people, and you need to execute that plan.

If this is accomplished, then the everyday affairs that come along will find their place to fit in. When I say, “Don’t become drowned in everyday affairs,” this doesn’t mean that if something like [the building that collapsed in] Abadan happens, you shouldn’t attend to it. You should attend to it, and you must attend to affairs such as floods and other problems. You should attend to these sudden, unexpected issues, but you shouldn’t drown yourselves in them. Work according to a plan, and your main attention should be on your broad, comprehensive plan. This is something to consider.

My next recommendation is to manage priorities. There’s only so much the government can do, and it can’t deal with everything. We should identify the most important priorities. So what are the “priorities”?

Identify the priorities from amongst the major issues. For example, one major issue is economics, another issue is science, another issue is security, another issue is social harms, and another issue is culture. These are all main issues. In my opinion, economics is currently our first priority. Not that we shouldn’t attend to other issues, we must attend to all of them. But our main focus should be on economic issues, and I’ll explain this further on.

So once we have determined our priorities, priorities should also be set from among the sub-sectors of each major sector. For example, what’s the priority in economics? What’s the priority in cultural issues? We should manage the priorities in each of these fields. But as I said, the first and most important priority today is economics in my opinion. [However], this is for now. For how long? We don’t know. For some time.  

Economics should be attended to very seriously but in accordance with culture. Everything you do in the field of economics must be accompanied by a cultural concept, and this is important. Now suppose there may also be diplomatic, cultural, and other issues for you to attend to as well.

Now, there are a few things I’ll point out regarding economics. Firstly, the country’s main officials in economics should work with consistency. The President also mentioned in his statements that we discuss matters, and if there’s a disagreement, we reach a common point. Then we all move forward according to it. This is what I want to emphasize.

Sometimes, what actually takes place is contrary to this. You must try to reach a single, common opinion in different economic matters. If you don’t come to a common opinion, there’s one opinion that the majority agrees on. So others should strengthen that opinion. It shouldn’t be the case that, for example, one official in economics – whether it be an organizational manager in economics or an executive official in economics – says one thing and another official says something else. For example, in the case of doing away with a preferential currency, when one official says one thing and another says something contrary to that, this is not right. Everyone should be consistent in what they say, and they need to follow a single path.

Secondly, the priorities in the field of economics should be determined, but I’ll talk about this later.

The third point regarding economics is that there are a few main points in economics that need to be focused on. The President himself should focus on these points that I’ll mention, inquire about them, and request reports to see the progress. For example, he could check on the main economic indicators, such as inflation amount and inflation growth. Now instead of saying inflation rate, I have used the word “amount.” These should be among the issues that are always in front of your eyes.

Or consider economic growth, which has a defined value in economics. We’ll aim at reaching the number eight. This is an issue that constantly requires attention. Or there’s the issue of investment growth. We’re very behind in investment growth, far behind. Many problems have come up due to a lack of attention and focus on investment, mainly in the fields of industry and agriculture. Or there’s employment growth, GDP per capita growth, and reducing socio-economic gaps.

One of the very important things that you mentioned in your report was that this gap has decreased based on the GINI coefficient. This should be pursued, it should be continued, and it should be attended to on a daily basis. If these issues and these major indicators are not taken into consideration precisely and continuously, these issues will be neglected. Later we’ll realize how far behind we’ve fallen in the field of inflation, for example, or in investment, or in other fields. This is another matter [to be considered].

Another issue is production, which you have also mentioned and which I’ve been pointing out for many years now. The most important sector of the economy that we need to focus on for economic progress is production. That is, an improvement in people’s livelihood, employment, purchasing power, and various other economic issues, truly depends on domestic production, and this requires a great deal of attention. Anything that undermines production must be dealt with seriously. Anything that damages or destroys domestic production should be seriously confronted. You must firmly fight for it, whether it’s production in industry or agriculture.

In agriculture, food security is a very important issue. When we look at the world today, we see there’s a war going on in one part of the world [between Russia and Ukraine]. But we can see the impact it has on the rest of the world. this shows how important food security is.

I’ve always stressed the importance of self-sufficiency in wheat, self-sufficiency in corn, and self-sufficiency in livestock inputs. Some specialists or experts would say that we should focus on industrialization. Well yes, I’m not against industrialization at all. In fact, I’ve been trying to promote industrial development more than many others, but food security is an important priority and it shouldn’t be neglected. We can clearly see how important it is in the world today.

In the field of industry and industrial production, we have a major problem and I spoke about this with the people who were at the exposition when I was looking at these [performance reports]. That problem is a lack in “working capital.” People complain about this. This is the responsibility of the banks. Banks shouldn’t let production units suffer due to a lack of working capital.

Now the Central Bank has some strict policies, which are necessary and required for balance sheets and the such. It is necessary for the banks to have these restrictions, but they should shift these restrictions toward the non-productive areas that banks are involved in. As we can see, banks do many things that are non-productive, such as trading lands and trading gold coins.

Many such things happen when banks work in corporate financing. Those restrictions should be shifted toward this area. Make sure that the bank facilities for production units are not negatively affected. Production units depend on these bank facilities. This is something to consider.

As I said, there are some priorities involved in economic sectors, and I have mentioned some of them. For example, housing is an important priority. Housing is a very important issue. Firstly, progress in the field of housing creates employment opportunities. Even starting projects in housing itself creates employment opportunities for many people who specialize in this area.

Secondly, we don’t depend on other countries in the housing sector. The land belongs to us, the materials belong to us, and the designs belong to us. Therefore, housing requires attention. We’re very far behind in the housing sector, and we can see the effects. The prices for buying and renting houses are overwhelming. People are really having problems in this area. One of the definite priorities in economics is housing.

In the energy sector, the petroleum refineries are one of the important things we need to focus on, and I’ve emphasized this repeatedly since the time of the previous government. I’ve heard you have started working in this area, so continue since this is an important issue.

The mining sector is another sector where we’re far behind. You must complete the chain and add value in mining. Sometimes, I have been sent various reports that I have referred to the government and authorities during these many years, but strong action has not been taken in the mining sector. This area needs to be worked on.

We have the best, most diverse mines, but these mines are either left untouched or their products are sold as raw materials. Others buy our raw rocks, work on them and sell them back to us at a price many times more than the price they paid us for them.

Sometimes the stones that are used in some buildings – for example, stones from Kerman’s rock mines that are of a very high-quality – are sent to Italy, where they are processed and worked on. Then we go and buy those stones from them at a price many times more than what we sold them for, and we use them in our buildings. So mining is another of our priorities.

In transportation, completing the vital routes, such as the transit routes between the north and the south and between the east and the west, is a very important issue.

Our country has always been known to be in an exceptional position in transportation. Both in connecting the north with the south and in connecting the east with the west, it’s in an exceptional position. When you look at the world map, you can see how our geographical position is unique. Therefore, the transit routes and also the routes for domestic communication and transportation, are some important matters to focus on.

Another priority in economics is the sea, which he [Dr. Mokhber] also mentioned. I’ve been emphasizing the importance of the sea for many years now. Some small efforts have been made, but what was supposed to happen hasn’t happened yet.

The sea is an important issue. There is the sea itself, seawater, seafood, ports, and residential areas that can be built around the sea. These are all exceptional sources of wealth for the country. We have seas in the north and south of our country, and this is a great advantage for us. We need to make the most use of these.

To briefly sum up, my recommendations in economic fields and non-economic fields is to not let our natural resources and human capacities be wasted. Don’t let this happen. Mr. Mokhber was right when he said that we have people who can manage the country on their own. These are truly great treasures for our country. Don’t let them be wasted.

Something I have always emphasized is that you shouldn’t leave things unfinished. Sometimes we start something enthusiastically, and we eagerly attend to it with much anticipation. But after a few steps have been taken, we gradually lose interest and the job is left incomplete. Be wary of this and don’t leave projects unfinished.

Of course, some of our problems are due to the accumulation of problems from the past. Fixing these problems is difficult and time-consuming. Be patient. Have patience and perseverance. God willing, move past these obstacles with endurance and effort. If the things I mentioned today are done, the thirteenth government will prove itself to be efficient, active and a solution to people’s problems in life. In this way, God will be pleased with you and so will the people, God willing.

Now, this was a brief summary of what I needed to say. I hope God will help you succeed, and I will pray for you as I always do. I hope by the will of God, the Exalted, that the pure soul of our great Imam [Khomeini] and the blessed souls of the dear martyrs are pleased with us. May God give us the success to be able to fulfill our duties toward them and our dear people in the best possible way.

May God’s greetings, mercy and blessings be upon you.