The following is the full text of the speech delivered on May 29, 2013 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the MPs of the ninth Majlis.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
First of all, I would like to welcome all the dear brothers and sisters, the honorable MPs of the Majlis. I pray for the honorable friends in the Majlis so that they successfully go through their first year as MPs. I hope that this first year will be accepted by God and that it will be reflected in your performance sheet in the hereafter. Also, I pray for the honorable Speaker of the Majlis and the board of deputy speakers who once again won your trust and who accepted this responsibility. I hope that Allah the Exalted has ordained good for them and for you and I hope that He will make all of you succeed in doing things which He approves.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the main purpose of what we do. These superficial positions, these titles, headships and managements, this popular respect and other such things are fleeting. What remains for you and us is our actions. If we have done good and righteous deeds with good intentions, we will not suffer a loss after the passage of these years during which we hold such titles and positions. If, God forbid, this era of responsibilities, missions and titles does not produce any results for us and if, God forbid, it exerts a negative influence on us and makes us indebted before God, this is the worst destiny that such responsibilities can determine for us. We should constantly pay attention to this issue.
Of course, this opportunity to be the people's representative is a great opportunity. In Islamic society and in Islamic government, anyone who can be entrusted with and accomplish a mission should really thank God. However, we should pay attention to the fact that this opportunity is a great test as well. We are taking a test. It is during sensitive eras that difficult tests emerge. In the ordinary course of everyday life, there are also certain tests, but outstanding and difficult tests appear when one reaches sensitive points in his life.
The responsibilities that we have are among these sensitive points. Sometimes, an individual spends long years of his life living with honesty and purity. Then, he may reach an era when he faces certain tests. During this era, if he cannot show his capabilities in controlling and restraining his self, he will be heading for a fall. In this sensitive era it is being a member of the Majlis and accepting executive responsibilities and other responsibilities such as the one that I have been entrusted with. These are sensitive points in our lives. During these eras, we should take care of ourselves and we should be vigilant. In normal conditions, an individual may live a good life, but when he reaches a precipice, a sensitive point and a sharp turn, he may not be able to have full control over the situation. We should bear this in mind. "When there is a change in conditions, the merits of men will be known" [Nahjul Balaghah, Saying 213].
At such sensitive points, we can test our mettle. We are usually optimistic about our own performance. We do not see our weak points. We usually overvalue our virtues. In such conditions, when we get close to God, we can find our weaknesses and faults. Money, power, sexual desire and other such things are difficult tests. What is important for the honorable MPs of the Majlis, executive and judiciary officials, the armed forces, seminarians and those who are involved in a combination of such responsibilities is that they should know and identify these tests with their shrewd eyes. They should know that such sensitive points are a test. We should not be negligent. If we can pass through this dangerous turn, this sensitive point and this precipice, we should thank God.
This is the main point that I wanted to discuss with you dear brothers and sisters. Primarily, I am addressing this piece of advice to myself. I am discussing it with you so that, by Allah's favor, the heart of this humble person is affected by such words and so that we can benefit from such advice together. By benefiting from this advice, on the one hand we can appreciate the value of the opportunity to render services to the people, to Islam, to the country and to the Islamic Republic - this opportunity helps us to view these services as God's great blessing - and on the other hand, we can notice that such an opportunity involves certain dangers. Having a good and fast car is good because it can help one reach one's destination. However, it involves certain dangers and we should be careful. This is the main thing that I wanted to discuss with you dear brothers and sisters. I hope that, by Allah's favor, these words have an effect on all of us.
What I can say - according to the reports which have been delivered to me - about this Majlis during the first year of its life is that with the existence of different kinds of experts in the Majlis, it has thankfully made various plans and bills prepared by the administration to produce results and to bring matters to fruition. This is the nature of expertise. When there is knowledge and skill and when they are accompanied by a sense of responsibility, the output of our work will naturally be better. This requires that we thank God and express our satisfaction because, thankfully, the Majlis has such a capability.
As it has been witnessed, during this time, the political positions of the Majlis in different arenas were good positions. The positions that were adopted were appropriate. You are representatives of all the people. Their requests and feelings are manifested in your behavior. Thankfully, what has been witnessed is very good.
What is important for the brothers and sisters in the Majlis to pay attention to is that you should know you are like a mountain peak. Whenever I had the opportunity to speak to the honorable MPs in all or most of the parliaments, I always stressed this point. What comes out of the heart of this peak will flow down the foot of the mountain. Like other mountain peaks in the country, the behavior and the conduct of MPs in the Majlis and the way they interact with one another influences the behavior of all the people in society. This is a natural and perpetual process.
If wisdom, acumen, peace, tranquility and kindness dominate the atmosphere of the Majlis and if this is reflected in all levels of society, these characteristics will gradually influence the people in society. If there is tension, irritation and laziness in the Majlis, this will also be manifested in the behavior of the people. Such influence is natural and it is not visible and noticeable at first, but it will gradually show itself. This increases the responsibility of the honorable officials. Therefore, in my opinion, the dear friends and the honorable MPs should be completely vigilant in this regard as well.
Working on different bills and plans is a responsibility you have towards the rights of the people. This is a definite and clear thing. That is to say, when a bill is proposed in the Majlis or when you prepare a bill in order to implement it in a certain sector in the country and fill in the table of the macro policies of the country, then your precision, your vigilance, your efforts, your research and your investigation - which will help this bill become complete - manifest the responsibility that you have towards the rights of the people. When a bill is proposed in the Majlis - I was a member of Majlis and I have witnessed such cases up close - and when this bill is submitted to the Majlis commission and a certain MP looks at it, he deals with this bill the way he deals with his personal affairs. He carefully studies it, he carries out research on it, he discusses it with an expert and he pictures it in his mind. But sometimes a number of MPs do not act in this way. Sometimes, a certain bill or plan is put forward in the Majlis, but such MPs do not know much about the content of this bill or plan. Therefore, they do not feel responsible and they do not follow it up either in the commission or in any session of the Majlis. In such circumstances, their vote for or against this bill cannot be relied on.
Their votes of abstention cannot be relied on either. We have not come to Majlis to cast a vote of abstention. We have come to Majlis to decide what should be done and what should not be done. A vote of abstention is necessary when we make enough efforts and do what we were supposed to do, but we cannot reach a conclusion. Well, in such conditions, we can cast a vote of abstention. In this case, we are like a faqih or mujtahid who makes enough efforts, who refers to different sources, who looks at fiqhi opinions, but who cannot reach a conclusion. When this happens, he says, "You should be careful. I have no opinion and no fatwa in this regard". A vote of abstention is necessary in such cases. But when we do not carry out research and when we cast a vote of abstention in order to free ourselves from the act of voting for or against a bill about which we cannot make a clear and reasonable decision, this is not appropriate.
Therefore, one of the things which is very important and necessary in the Majlis is working on such bills, whether the bills which are proposed by the administration or the bills which are prepared by you in the Majlis. Such bills should really be worked on. Anyone who has enough expertise in this regard should make a decision. If they do not have enough expertise, they should reach a conclusion by consulting with other people. This is one of the things which is very important.
Of course, there is a certain complaint in this regard. In previous parliaments, I have repeatedly made this complaint to the honorable MPs and speakers of the Majlis. Sometimes, we see that many seats are empty so much so that it exceeds the limit. Of course, there is always a good reason why a number of seats are empty, but after all this has a limit. When we sometimes see that this is more than the limit, we feel that there is a neglect of duty. Moreover, there are a number of people in the Majlis who do not take part in voting. This is another strange phenomenon. These people sit at the back and hold a friendly discussion. This is not an appropriate move either.
Both physical presence and full awareness - that is to say, paying attention to issues and listening to arguments and counterarguments - in the Majlis is necessary. These are among the responsibilities which provide a basis for membership in the Majlis and which cannot be ignored. These are very important responsibilities. I really ask the dear brothers and sisters in the Majlis to pay attention to this issue. They should pay attention to both physical presence and spiritual presence - that is to say, presence of one's heart and full awareness. This is an important issue.
Another issue is that - as I said before - the behavior of MPs is influential in building and shaping society. If piety, honesty, morality, sense of responsibility and enthusiasm are seen in the Majlis, this influences society. Primarily, these things make the people become interested in the members of the Majlis and they make them optimistic and committed. Secondly, these characteristics make the people behave like MPs who are mountain peaks and outstanding personalities.
If the honorable MPs are tactful when they speak before a bill is passed and when they argue with other MPs and if they avoid insulting other MPs and using inappropriate language, then the people feel this. When one listens to the radio, he notices that this gentleman could have used offensive language but he did not. Such behavior influences the listener. But if, God forbid, the opposite is witnessed, if one sees that the speaker is tactless when he speaks, that he uses offensive or impolite language and that he behaves in an impolite way, this immediately exerts a negative influence. That is to say, although the listener does not approve of this behavior, he or she is influenced by it. People are not like a child who is influenced by its father's behavior without knowing if this behavior is good or bad. This is not the case with people. They understand if someone is behaving in a good or bad way. However, this is the nature of the issue. You can see that in different environments or among different groups of people, someone says something which people may not like, but it exerts a negative influence on them anyway. That is to say, this makes it easier for one to copy that behavior. This is the nature of the issue.
Another issue is fairness. Of course, I am stating the obvious and you gentlemen and ladies are aware of such issues. Perhaps, you yourselves offer such advice to the people. However, we too have the responsibility to address such issues. Although you do not need us to say such things, it is necessary for us to point them out. The issue of fairness - such as fairness to your friend and colleague in the Majlis, to people outside the Majlis, to the administration and to the judiciary branch - should be observed.
You should observe the issue of fairness. "Let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve towards wrong and depart from justice" [The Holy Quran, 5: 8]. Sometimes we are not on friendly terms with someone and we may hate them. Well, there may be a good reason for this. After all, we have a reason for hating someone. However, we have to be fair even to this person whom we do not like. We have to be fair to this person although we have a reason for disliking him or her. Someone may have certain good points. The bad points that they have should not make us overshadow their good points. This is a very important thing. Unfairness and inappropriate behavior will make the other person behave in a similar way. We human beings are weak. If once you behave in an unfair way towards me, I may not have the capacity and self-control to say, "Well, he was unfair to me. It is alright". This may make me behave in an unfair way as well. In such circumstances, unfairness rather than kindness and fairness becomes prevalent in society. Understand that you have such influence because you are the members of the Majlis. Otherwise, if you were ordinary people in society, you would exert some influence, but not to this extent. If we have an important position and if people look at us, our behavior has a certain meaning. But if we are ordinary people, the same behavior has another meaning.
Another issue which I have always discussed with the friends in the Majlis is the issue of interaction with the executive branch. When I sit and talk to officials in the executive branch - whether to the honorable President, the esteemed ministers or all of them together - I offer the same advice. I say that they should interact with the legislative branch. Each of these branches has certain rights. The Majlis has certain rights within particular limits. Also, the executive branch and officials in charge of executive affairs have certain rights within particular limits. These two branches should respect each other's rights and they should interact with each other. This interaction is a two-way street. Westerners and those who have been in the west use this term. Actually, it is a good term. Both sides should interact with each other. Of course, despite their good intentions, there may be some misunderstanding. There is nothing wrong with this as far as it remains within a limited degree which is the nature of this work. But this misunderstanding should not increase so much so that it leads to irritation. You should be careful about such issues.
I will tell you that the executive branch - whether this administration or any other administration - stands in the middle of the arena. The executive branch is in charge of different affairs and different responsibilities fall on its shoulders. It is this branch which is usually blamed and which is usually questioned about things. Therefore, there should be some consideration for the executive branch. Also, we always advise the executive branch and executive officials to respect the great right which has been defined for the legislative branch and for the law in general.
The law is the essence of things. The law is like a railway system for a train. You should make efforts to build a railway system for this train and executive officials should move on these rails. You should help to build these rails in a way that this train can move along when it comes to a turn.
You gentlemen have seen the train that goes to the north. There are a number of sharp turns on the way, but the rails have been built in a way that the train can move along. The train moves up the mountain. It goes up and down and there is no problem for the train because the rails have been built efficiently. If the curves and bends which are necessary for the passage of the train had not been made in this way or if they had been made in a way that the train could not move along, you would have seen many times that the train would fall down. This should be observed when you want to build a railway system. You are the builders of this railway system. The executive branch moves on this railway system and it should appreciate your value. You too should know that a train is going to move on this railway. Therefore, the role of both sides is important. As I said, this is not particular to this administration. I have repeatedly offered the same advice to all administrations and parliaments. Of course, to be fair, some officials acted on this advice and some others did not.
As Imam (may God bestow paradise on him) said, Majlis is definitely in charge of all affairs. But you should pay attention that this does not mean any MP is in charge of all affairs. It is the Majlis which is in charge of all affairs. An MP is an MP. That is to say, the dear and honorable MP whom the people from a certain area in the country have sent, with enthusiasm, to the Majlis should not think that he is in charge of all affairs. It is the Majlis which is in charge of all affairs. He should draw such a comparison when acting.
Therefore, let us go back to what I said in the beginning of my speech. There is a prayer which says, "Do not take my life while I feel sorrow and grief and do not do it until You forgive me and show mercy on me and until You let me know that You have answered my prayers" [Bihar al-Anwar, volume 84, page 268]. Dear brothers and sisters, what remains for you and me and what makes this prayer to be answered is our actions today. Our actions should be carried out in a serious, jihadi and sincere way and with a sense of responsibility. If we do these things, Allah the Exalted will forgive some negligence and ignorance on our part. But the important thing is that, by Allah's favor, we should make efforts to carry out our work in a proper and serious way and with good intentions.
I would like to say a few things about elections. As the honorable Speaker of the Majlis pointed out, election is always important and now it enjoys great significance because of certain reasons. Everyone should make efforts so that, by Allah's favor, the upcoming elections will be held with enthusiasm and with the presence of all the people. This will make the country have immunity, power and security. The presence of the people will counter the threats of the enemies. You can see that a number of western politicians, particularly a number of American politicians who act behind the scenes, carry out certain analyses. A number of these analyses are published and presented to media networks. These analyses say that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be overthrown so easily and so soon. Why do they say this? They say this because they know that the Islamic Republic is reliant on the people. This is the only secret behind its power. Otherwise, if we think that it is powerful because such and such people are in charge of the Islamic Republic, [we should know that] this is nothing or close to nothing compared to the greatness of the presence of the people who are a source of support for the Islamic Republic.
When people in a system are united and when they support this government, then it will have immunity, authority and power. In such conditions, it is impossible to uproot this government because it is like a tree which has taken roots deep inside the ground. It is not possible to uproot this tree. There are some governments which have money and resources and which enjoy the support of colonialist politicians in the world, but these governments have no roots. They themselves know that they have no roots. The Islamic Republic of Iran has roots. These roots are the people. The gathering of the people around the pivot of the Islamic Republic is a source of support for the dignity and wellbeing of our country and the Islamic Republic and it is a source of support for the people themselves. The people help the Islamic Republic achieve dignity. This brings about dignity, immunity and security for the people themselves. This support prepares the ground for the problems of the people to be solved. This should be known. This is a general formula. Therefore, elections which are the manifestation of the presence of the people should be held in an enthusiastic way. The efforts of all officials should be focused on this.
Fortunately, the existing laws are good and reasonable. As I said many times, there is no dead end in this regard. As a result, you can see that in these elections, legal procedures have been followed until now. The honorable presidential candidates were asked: if the Guardian Council issues an edict, will you obey that edict? All of them answered, "Yes, we will obey". And they obeyed. We should really thank all the candidates who were not qualified for the elections. These candidates said that they will obey the edict issued by the Guardian Council and they fulfilled their promise and obeyed this edict. This shows the significance and the primacy of the law. It shows the function and value of the law because the law dominates our country. It is possible that you and I are dissatisfied with the law. Sometimes this is the case, but when one obeys the law, problems will be solved and it will put an end to all disagreements. This is a great blessing. This is a great boon.
Thankfully, the people in our country are wise and vigilant. We do not want to use artificial flattery. The truth of the matter is that the familiarity of our people with political issues is above the global average. According to the information that we have about other countries - we receive certain reports from known and secret sources - such as European, North and South American and Asian countries, the people in such countries enjoy certain levels of awareness. This has an average, but the awareness and foresight of the people of Iran in political issues is above the global average. We do not want to claim that the people of Iran are infallible. But it is a true and acceptable claim [that Iranians awareness is above global average]. They look carefully at different issues, they have foresight and they understand things in a proper way.
Fortunately, today the people have the means - which is the IRIB - to understand any issue. The IRIB records and broadcasts programs, it shows different personalities and it reflects their statements. The people can take a look and reach a conclusion. This conclusion may be right or wrong. A person may reach a certain conclusion and another person may reach another conclusion. Naturally, one of these conclusions is right and the other is wrong, but Allah the Exalted will reward both of these people. When one takes a look and reaches a conclusion and when one acts according to this conclusion for the sake of God, Allah the Exalted will reward him. This is the responsibility of all of us and all the people. We should really see what conclusion we should reach and we should act on the basis of this conclusion.
Of course, the gentlemen who appear on TV as candidates and who deliver a speech have heavy responsibilities. They should be careful too. What one says should be genuine, truthful and honest and it should be based on accurate information. It should not be case that we say whatever crosses our mind in order to attract the attention of the people. They should be careful about this. Candidates should say what they know it is true and what they know they can do. They can refer to these things as their promises, plans and other such things, but they should try to tell the people the truth, both about the present conditions and about themselves. If this happens, God will bestow His blessings. If this happens, Allah the Exalted will help because everything is in the hands of God. Everything leads to divine will: "Everyone returns to Him" [Speaking in Arabic] and "Everything is in the hands of God and everyone seeks His assistance" [The collected poems of Molla Hadi Sabzevari]. If we act honestly, the will of God will help us.
Sometimes, assistance to me means that I can have a certain responsibility and sometimes, it means that I should not have this responsibility. Both are divine assistance. If we act honestly, Allah the Exalted will help us and He will give us what is to our benefit. It should not be case that we destroy everything - whether what is related to other candidates or what is related to existing realities in society - which is beyond our reach in order to attract the attention of the people. You should act in a proper way. If they do this, we can choose our candidate.
It is said that such and such a person or the Leader supports such and such a candidate. This is one of the rumors which has always existed and which is not true. Many of the people who spread this rumor know that this is not true. How do they know which candidate I support? No one has heard from me which candidate I support. No one has heard this from me either in the past or in the present time and no one will they hear it from me in the future. They make some guesses, but the less these guesses are expressed, the better it will be because these people do not know for sure. I have one vote like other people.
The other day, in a meeting with cadets I said that you may want to vote for someone and I may want to vote for someone else. What is wrong with this? You may like one candidate and I may like another candidate. There is nothing wrong with this. You may have certain knowledge about a candidate and I may not have this knowledge about him. There is nothing wrong with this. It is not the case that I should learn whatever you have learnt about a candidate and vice versa. These are judgments and decisions. Between God and us, what is important is that we should make a good judgment.
As you see and hear, foreign networks and foreign news constantly reflect these things. They constantly create uproar. Well, their goals are clear. Of course, it is not the case that we do not know what their purpose is. We do what we are supposed to do. We know what to do. Islamic society and the Islamic government knows what it is doing. The Islamic Republic is taking its own path. The goal, the path and the measures are clear. The Islamic Republic is doing its own work. Now, others can do whatever they like. This has no effect on the plans of the Islamic Republic. However, awareness and vigilance in these stages are important.
I hope that Allah the Exalted has ordained good for our country, for you and for all the people and I hope that He will bestow His blessings on you, on us and on everyone. I hope that, by Allah's favor, the future of this country and this nation will be better than its past and its present.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings