Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met with the MPs and the Speaker of the Majlis today. In this meeting, he said that all the laws should be in line with the principles of the Islamic Revolution and stated that the cultural and educational implications of the laws should be taken into consideration when passing legislation. He added that the Majlis should consider the short-term and long-term needs of society when passing laws.
He stated that taking these two points into account will result in the efficiency of laws.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the laws which are not in line with the principles of the Revolution lack legitimacy, further adding: "If the laws which are passed are not in line with the needs of the people, they might be technical legal but not acceptable to the people."
He said that Imam Khomeini's speeches and testament represent the principles of the Revolution and added that all legislation and policies should be in line with these two sources.
Ayatollah Khamenei advised the MPs to increase their tolerance for accepting criticism and said that all the comments which are made in the Majlis should be well-documented, logical, and moral and they must not be based on obstinacy and political muscle-flexing.
He further said that the Majlis should cooperate with administration officials in the management of the country because they shoulder a heavy responsibility in this regard.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that dealing with executive affairs is difficult and stressed: "The Majlis should cooperate with the administration in this regard and not make things hard for the administration."
He further added: "This does not mean disregarding the mistakes of the administration. It means that there should be sincere interaction between the Majlis and the administration."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution touched on the conflicts in some previous parliamentary terms and added: "People do not like conflicts at all, and conflicts have received totally negative feedback from the people. That is because the people want government officials to cooperate sincerely to solve the country's problems."
Ayatollah Khamenei reminded the MPs to consider national interests when passing laws and stated that the MPs must put national interests above the interests of their constituencies.
Elsewhere in his speech, His Eminence stressed the need for respecting the law in the country and reiterated: "Regarding the issues related to the recent presidential election, I have insisted on respecting the law. And the Islamic Republic and the people will by no means give in to pressure."
The Leader stressed that dictatorship is the opposite end of respect for the law. "If the laws are not obeyed, the spirit of dictatorship will emerge."
He said lawlessness will jeopardize public interests, further reiterating: "Persistent violation of the law will lead to confusion."
"Respect for the law as a cultural norm, must be initiated by elites and passed on to society. Therefore, if elites do not observe the law, the ordinary people cannot be expected to respect the law," he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed his appreciation for the stance adopted by the Majlis regarding the post-election issues. "When the enemies are looking for an opportunity and a weakness, it is appropriate and very important to announce the general positions of the Islamic Republic unanimously."
Referring to the post-election protests, Mr. Larijani, the Speaker of the Majlis, said that no one must feel above the law. "The recent conflict related to the election will only be ended by the Guardian Council. The gentlemen who are involved in this conflict must know that the laws are not just for the time of comfort and that obedience of the law is for all times," he said.