The following is the full text of the speech delivered on June 16, 2004 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the members of the 7th Majlis.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
First, I would like to welcome you dear brothers and sisters - the honorable MPs of 7th Majlis. Because of God's assistance, I consider this meeting to be a blessed one. I hope that God will bless your presence and your legislative position in the Majlis for you yourselves and for the people of Iran.
I deem it necessary to once more thank our dear people because of their intelligent and wise presence at ballot boxes for shaping the 7th Majlis. A great task - which was based on understanding and sincere feeling - was carried out. The people of Iran did not allow the Islamic Republic to suffer from lack of the Majlis and the legislative branch even for one single day. This was what the enemies of this system wanted. I also thank you dear MPs because of responding to the statements that we made in the beginning of the year and to the message that we delivered to you. This mutual demand and motivation and this connection of lofty and great wills and goals is a very blessed phenomenon. I also thank Mr. Haddad Adel for his statements which contained perfect words and concepts and which were completely correct.
I would like to say something in explaining the ayah that one of the dear brothers recited in this meeting: "Whatever you are given here is but a convenience of this life, but that which is with Allah is better and more lasting" [The Holy Quran, 42: 36]. The things that you have in this world are achievements that will go away in the twinkle of an eye. They are not lasting. These achievements are not only monetary. They also include the opportunities, responsibilities and positions that are available to us because such responsibilities and positions are related to our selves. Being a member of the Majlis is one of these material achievements. It is among "...Whatever you are given here". If we enter this arena for the sake of God, then we will be among those mentioned in the latter part of the ayah: "but that which is with Allah is better and more lasting. It is for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord".
If our purpose of becoming an MP, holding an executive position and occupying different other positions - including the positions that I, you, government officials and different other officials have - is to enjoy the material and shallow aspects of our jobs, then we are undoubtedly deceived because such material aspects are absurd and they really contain nothing in them. On the face of it, it seems that we have achieved something, but it is not a real achievement. We always give something in return for what we get. Throughout your life, you never get something for free. You get something and you give something in return. What we get is the things that we have in our lives: knowledge, spirituality, money, position, fame, popularity and other such things. What we give is more important than all of these things and that is our life: "Most surely man is in loss" [The Holy Quran, 103: 2].
In return for all our achievements, we are constantly and continuously giving something and that is the time to live in this world. It is running out. The main resource is decreasing bit by bit. It is like a slab of ice that you hold in your hands. It will melt. This investment should be turned into a real investment. On the issue of the macroeconomics of the country, you say that oil is a national resource and it should not be used for daily needs. It should be turned into a permanent investment. The same is true of our selves. We are giving a non-renewable resource - that is to say, our life. So in return, we should get a permanent resource. Our fame and glory, our popularity, our political position and our money will not remain. What remains is "That which is with Allah" because it "Is better and more lasting". It is permanent. Your purpose of becoming an MP should be this.
If you do so, you will not suffer a loss whether you will remain popular or not, whether you will be elected in the next term or not and whether you will endure many difficulties or not. If you become an MP for the sake of God, whatever happens is good. "In mysticism, whatever befalls the mystic is God's blessing" [Divan of Hafiz, Ghazal 71]. Whatever happens is to your advantage. Why is that? It is because you are making a lucrative deal. If you want to work for God, your act of rising and sitting, your signatures, your speeches, your approval and disapproval of something should be for the sake of carrying out your responsibility. If you do such things for the sake of carrying out your responsibilities, then it will be recorded by God: "It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account of everything" [The Holy Quran, 18: 49].
They will take account of everything, things that we forget. When we are in desperate need of help, they will give it to us with interest. So, we have not suffered a loss. Whatever we do except for this, we have suffered a loss. This is the case for me and you both. There is no difference between us in this regard.
Now, I want to speak about the content and meaning of our responsibilities. We have certain responsibilities. If we carry them out, what I said will be achieved. The most important point that exists about the Majlis is that it is the manifestation of religious democracy. The model of religious democracy that the Islamic Republic presented to the world and that it introduced in the arena of global politics was undoubtedly a successful experience. It is a model in which the people's votes, will, character and demands play a vital role in building the future of society. And the basis of this movement is spiritual and divine values. This is exactly what humanity needs in the present time. People throughout the world are suffering from its absence. Wars, arrogance, oppression, class inequalities, looting the wealth of nations and the shocking poverty which dominates a large number of people in the world result from the absence of spirituality. Corruption, a feeling of absurdity and the decadence and debauchery that is common among different generations of people in the world result from the absence of spirituality.
They have begun these things 100, 200, 300 years ago. Today, the bitter consequences of these things are showing themselves. These consequences are like all historical events whose effect does not become clear at once. They show themselves with the passage of time like diseases whose symptoms appear late and which are not curable.
Despite the great and enormous wealth that many so-called advanced countries have today - they have so much money, wealth and knowledge and they have so many technological and scientific achievements - humanity does not feel happy. It does not feel that it enjoys justice. Despite all these material achievements, poverty cannot be eradicated. This is a result of spirituality's absence. We people of Iran have contained spirituality in our new model in an essential, principal and fundamental way. This was not a mere formality and a routine procedure. This is religious democracy. And the manifestation of this democracy is the Islamic Majlis. It is both a Majlis and it is Islamic. It is based on the people's choice, and its orientation is Islamic. This is manifest in the many articles of the Constitution and in MPs' oaths. This model is peerless.
Of course, it is natural that they use hostile propaganda against it. As bazaaris say, they try to bring down its price and make people consider it as a worthless product. This is a well-known trick. They sometimes play down the significance of the best cultural achievements and legacies that a people have. They try to make them hate those achievements. This is a well-known trick in the world. But the truth of the matter is what we feel. The Majlis is the most important manifestation of religious democracy. Therefore, you should not show negligence about this position of yours. You should know how important this place is. You should know what the Majlis means. You should not show negligence about the importance of making decisions and adopting positions in the Majlis. This place is a center and a peak. In one sense, it is the showcase of the Islamic Republic and it is in front of everyone's eyes.
We are not satisfied with the fact that we have this Majlis. We have had this Majlis for almost 25 years. We should find a way to help the Majlis continue moving in the right direction and towards goals. We should do something to make it improve its performance and increase its effectiveness so that it can exert influence in the real sense of the word and so that it can improve and perfect - on a regular basis - the general movement of the country by passing good laws, exercising supervision at the right time and adopting correct positions. We should do so particularly because the enemies of the Islamic Republic have always wanted a Majlis which cannot play any role. They want a Majlis that cannot exert any influence or that it exerts negative influence. So, the Majlis should be influential, vigorous and active. It should be able to play its part.
All our efforts should be focused on this. However, we are not satisfied with this. It is not enough for us to say that we have a parliament like the countries which carry the name of democracy on their shoulders. This is not what we want. Those parliaments have certain fundamental weak points as well as certain strong points - they probably have certain strong points as well because there is no center without strong and weak points. We should avoid their fundamental weak points.
I remember that in the beginning of the Revolution, Imam (r.a.) constantly reminded us of the fact that MPs in other parliaments beat one another and engage in serious fights. He was proud that such things did not exist in ours. The MPs in our Majlis only engage in arguments and counterarguments. This is very important. We should see what others' weak points are and then we should avoid them. In many parliaments of capitalist countries, it is very common for the MPs to explicitly say and show in practice that they safeguard the interests of big companies, cartels and trusts. They are not ashamed of doing so at all. They are after passing laws to safeguard the goals and interests that big companies and cartels define. This is while such companies show the most oppression in the world. They are after solving the problems of these companies. This is their biggest weak point.
MPs should be representatives of the masses of the people. In particular, they should be representatives of people who need - more than others - the presence of their MPs in the arena of decision-making for the country. They should be representatives of the people who are weak and who suffer from serious poverty. Therefore, you should first define what it is to be representatives of underprivileged classes. Although it is true that each of you is representative of all the people of Iran - you are not representatives of a particular group of people, the people in your province and the people who vote for you because the Majlis is the representative of all the people of Iran - some classes need, more than others, the presence of their representatives in the arena of decision-making. This is because they are underprivileged, they have serious problems and they suffer from poverty, lack of resources and discrimination. It is they who are harmed by corruption. Therefore, you should primarily consider yourselves to be the representatives of such people.
Another point which is very important is that you should benefit from all the capacities of the Majlis. If one day an organization decides to introduce the most successful Majlis after the Revolution, the most successful Majlis will undoubtedly be one that has managed to use all its capacities. The capacity of legislation is a very important capacity. The means of supervision are at your disposal. You should not play down the significance of the Audit Court. In many previous meetings, I have repeatedly stressed that officials and MPs should take a very serious outlook towards the Audit Court. This is a very important means. Now, I would like to point this out to you as well. Of course, some people listened and some did not. But you should definitely listen. The Audit Court is very important.
The great budget of the people is the only major public fund that is given to different organizations. It should become clear how this budget is spent. The issue of allocating the budget and making sure of the correctness of decisions in this regard is one of the most important means of supervision that is available to you. You should not ignore it. If you want to benefit from this supervision means, you should do your best to make sure that your relationship with executive organizations and your affiliated organizations is legal. If you establish a corrupt relationship, this will definitely be to your disadvantage. I do not want to point to a specific person, thing or group. But it is theoretically possible for some MPs to establish a corrupt and inappropriate relationship with their affiliated organizations. This will definitely cause obstacles on the way of supervision. It will take away the power of supervision - a great capability given to the Majlis by the law - from the Majlis. If this is done, the Majlis will no longer be efficient.
Another important issue is the political status of the Majlis. You are representatives of the people. You are an outline of who the people of Iran are. In one sense, your positions on political and international matters indicate the position of the people of Iran. This position can be adopted in two different ways: sometimes it can boost the enemy's hopes of interference. It can encourage him to become bold and greedy and to make extravagant claims against the Islamic Republic. It can also act in the opposite way. It can make him feel that the people of Iran and their representative enjoy power, steadfastness, awareness and resistance about their national interests. It can make him feel that the people of Iran do not compromise with those who do their best to turn national interests into a plaything and to find a way to dominate the people of Iran. Today, this is our problem with the enemies whom we fight against.
Dear brothers and sisters, there is a very valuable and profitable country in this very sensitive and strategic - in political and military terms - region, namely Iran. Arrogant powers have dug their claws into this country for many years. One day, it was Russia, One day it was England and another day, it was America. Later on, its people liberated it from their claws by relying on a thought and idea and on their determination. But they want to restore their domination. This is the source of all contentions. Of course, we have no problems with anyone. We only want to say to the people who wish to dominate us again, "No way. We will not allow you to do so". The Islamic Republic's fight against those who want to confront this system is over this matter. There is no other problem.
When interacting with one another, all countries in the world may have certain natural problems. These problems are not important. What is important is that the people of Iran and the Islamic Republic have stood firm and that they want to defend their identity, independence and national dignity. There are some people who want to get their hands on this willpower and determination. This is the source of all contentions. The Majlis should have a fundamental and determining role in this major confrontation. This is because you are the people's representatives. You can see the people's presence in elections, rallies, slogans. You can see them through their demands and requests. You can see who and what these people are. The Majlis should be the full-length mirror of national power, national dignity, resistance for the sake of national interests and confrontation against global imperialists and totalitarian powers. These are important capacities that the Majlis enjoys.
Another point is that you are 290 outstanding personalities who have gathered together from different areas of the country. This is a unique opportunity. Two hundred and ninety outstanding personalities from different social backgrounds have gathered under one roof as representatives of the people and they are going to spend four years together. This is a unique and exceptional opportunity. This is the place for engaging in reasonable and correct challenges and arguments for the major issues of the country. I have no objection to arguments inside the Majlis. On the contrary, I completely agree with it. Imam (may God bestow paradise on him) used to say that the Majlis is the place for engaging in arguments - such as the ones that seminarians engage in. When two clergy argue with one another, they sometimes shout at each other. Such shouts are neither out of grudge nor out of political and personal motives. Rather, they defend ideas that they believe to be true. They defend their viewpoints and they often reach an agreement.
There is a difference between the reasonable arguments and discussions that experts and well-informed personalities get involved in and the arguments that elementary students start. When you enter an elementary school, there is so much noise and commotion. And when you enter a scientific environment, you see that some people are sitting and arguing with one another. There is so much noise there too. But there is a major difference between them. Elementary, partisan and business-type arguments that some people start over materialistic issues are beneath the dignity and position of the Majlis. But scientific and expert arguments and discussions - particularly in parliamentary commissions - are good and appropriate. In fact, parliamentary commissions are the place for developing such arguments. This way, the Majlis becomes dynamic and enthusiastic. So therefore, such arguments should definitely exist.
What kind of development are we after? This fundamental question is common in economic and non-economic discussions. Some people are after introducing bizarre ideas and keep the people's minds away from the major issues. For example, they introduce Chinese, Japanese and other such models of development. Considering cultural and historical circumstances and the legacies and beliefs of the people, the model of development in the Islamic Republic is a completely domestic model which originates from the people themselves. We should not copy it from anywhere else. We should copy it neither from the World Bank, nor from the International Monetary Fund, nor from any leftist or rightist country. Every country has its own conditions. There is a difference between using others' experience and following imposed and often old-fashioned models.
Sometimes, the methods that are introduced in economic, cultural and other areas are borrowed from others. They are borrowed from such and such a western thinker. Some people do this the way we quote the Holy Quran. This is while many methods are obsolete and outdated. They were experimented with 30, 40, 50 years ago. In the present time, they have been replaced by better methods, but now, we want to benefit from these obsolete methods in our educational system, in scientific and academic areas, in economic tasks, in planning and in allocation of the budget. This is not the right course of action. We should benefit from others' experience and knowledge, but the model and the method should be chosen from the inside.
A fundamental point about this Majlis is that it has begun its work in "The Year of Responsiveness". On the issue of responsiveness, your work has two aspects: one is that you should answer and another is that you should ask others to answer to you. If the administration is to answer to someone, it can be the public opinion inside the country. This is good and I often encourage our brothers in the administration to answer to the people. But the legal procedure is that executive organizations should answer to the Majlis. You should ask them to answer to you and you yourselves should answer to others as well.
You should determine your priorities. Each of you has been elected from a certain area in the country. Each of you has chanted some slogans and made some promises. You should add them together and see what the priorities are. You should specify and even set a time for your priorities- whether those which should be determined through the bills that the administration and the Majlis put forward or those which should be determined through your responsiveness and the administration's responsiveness to you.
Then you should report it to the people. You should say to them, "We wanted to pass this law and solve this problem. We were supposed to do it in the course of six months and we have reached this pointed in six months". Dr. Haddad Adel says that we should be able to put in an acceptable performance next year. This is possible only when you determine your priorities, do planning and prepare a timetable. After this, you should pursue your priorities. Another point is that all tasks cannot be carried out overnight. There are certain priorities. It is important to find and to pursue these priorities. Under such circumstances, you can be responsive to the people. You should also ask the organizations which are under your supervision to answer to you.
You should not miss even one single day. I always point this out to the brothers and sisters who occupy a position somewhere. I would like to point it out to you as well. Sometimes, some people think that they have four years to accomplish their tasks and that the first two, three months are not important. This should not be the case. Even the first two, three days are important. You should not miss even one single day. Four years is a lot of time provided that all hours and days are used. This does not mean that we have unreasonable expectations. You should make most of the time that is specified for the Majlis. If you do so, then four years will be really a good time.
One of the glorious - rightly so - names in our history is Amir Kabir. He held office for three years in our country. So, it becomes clear that three years is a lot. All the tasks that Amir Kabir accomplished and all the good memories that our history and our people have about this personality are the products of three years. Therefore, four years is not a short time. It is a considerable amount of time provided that it is used in the right way.
You should pursue real and practical ideals. We should not pursue those ideals that are not practical and that cannot be achieved, nor should we be satisfied with minor ideals and drift away from the major ones. What we should always pay attention to is the 20-year strategic plan. This plan is very important. I will tell you that on the basis of experts' opinions, this plan is completely practical. There are no over-optimistic and unrealistic expectations regarding this plan. You should look a close look at it and read it carefully. Considering our comprehensive Constitution and the principles of the Islamic Republic, we people of Iran can reach the peak - in the course of 20 years - that has been portrayed in this plan provided that we work well. You should pay attention to policies.
Policies have been formulated on the basis of this strategic plan. Therefore, laws should be compatible with policies. They should incorporate policies and move towards the strategic plan. This plan is on the basis of Islam. We should dedicate all our time, our efforts and our jobs to these goals. In fact, we should melt into these goals.
Your critics and opponents - those who wish to find faults with you and say something in your criticism - often use the phrase "melting into Wilayat". I have not heard this phrase from true and sensible critics. I do not understand the meaning of "melting into Wilayat". What does it mean? We should melt into Islam because Wilayat itself is part of Islam. The day when Shahid Sadr said, "You should melt into Imam Khomeini (r.a.) the way he melted into Islam" the only standard and yardstick was Imam [r.a.]. At that time, there was no Constitution, no Islamic Republic, no system and no organization. On the turbulent scene of different orientations and parties, there was only one hoisted flag which was Imam (r.a.). Shahid Sadr used to say, "Melt into him". He was right because melting into Imam was, in fact, melting into Islam.
Today, this is not the case. Melting into the Leader is melting into a person. So, this is not correct at all. Who is the Leader after all? The Leader should melt into Islam as well so that he is respected. Respect towards the Leader depends on him melting into Islam and these goals. If he takes one single step in the wrong direction, this respect will be gone. No one should melt into a person and an orientation. Rather, we should melt into goals and Islam. We should melt into the lofty Islamic goals that Allah the Exalted has set for us. In fact, we should melt into the people. You should look at these goals and the peak that I spoke about. Today, we desperately need these things: Islam, national dignity, independence, social justice and bridging the gap between social classes. One law that you pass can deepen the rift between the poor and the rich. It can also patch it up to some extent. You should be after bridging this gap and filling this rift.
One of the most important tasks is combating corruption. Combating corruption is not merely a moral duty. Managing the country is reliant on combating corruption. When I wrote a letter to the officials of the country about combating corruption two, three years ago, I was after a long and fundamental task and a comprehensive investigation in the area of combating corruption. Wherever we go, we see that if do not combat corruption, all tasks will remain unfinished. So many good tasks are being carried out in the country - the tasks that have been carried out are not small in number - but the existence of corruption counters their effect. Take the case of a pool which is watered by several deep wells with long pipes, but the pool does not become full. When you take a look, you see that there is a crack in the floor of the pool. When you pour water into the pool, it gets out from this crack. Water does not reach the channels that you want to water. Corruption in society is like this. Financial corruption is like leprosy, AIDS and cancer. Therefore, it should be combated.
Of course, we should not exaggerate and magnify events. Some people create uproar and magnify the events in this regard. They speak as if cancer has spread everywhere. This is not the case. We have so many clean hands and pure individuals in different organizations ranging from the top to the bottom. And they form the majority, but one stain of corruption infects the entire body. When one part of the body becomes ill and feels a pain - for example, when a tooth decays - one cannot sleep at night. Our heart, stomach, lung and blood circulation work properly, but one decayed tooth disrupts our sleep. Corruption is like this. Therefore, we should combat it in a serious way. You are one base of combating it.
The day when I brought up the issue of combating corruption, I expected the Majlis to step forward and enter this arena so that we do not need to pursue it anymore, but unfortunately this did not happen. Previous MPs did not do so, but you should do it. Of course, as our perceptive and shrewd brother said, "We cannot clean the glass with a dirty linen". If we want to combat corruption, we should primarily take care not to become corrupt. You should be careful inside the Majlis. Clean hands, clean tongues and clean eyes will be able to clean everything in the vast and powerful area which you are working.
I should add that you should be afraid of great mistakes. When Imam Sajjad (peace and greetings be upon him) prays for the soldiers of Islam in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, one of the things that he stresses is: "Oh God, take away the love of seditious money from their hearts". Money and wealth are very dangerous and seditious. They make many people slip. We had many great personalities throughout history who slipped when they set foot in this arena. Therefore, you should be very careful. What is the name of this self-caring in the Holy Sharia? It is referred to as piety. From the beginning to the end, the Holy Quran has stressed piety. This means self-care. We are greedy by nature.
When I read in newspapers that you have decided to reconsider about many parliamentary costs and expenditures, I really became happy and I prayed for those who started this. Take the case of a person who owns a house, but he wants another. He has certain privileges, but he wants more. I really thank you for entering this arena and making efforts on this path. You should continue this path and persist in taking it. Behave as reasonably as you can. Of course, we do not recommend that members of the Majlis starve themselves and lead an ascetic lifestyle - neither we nor you are like this. Rather, we say that there should be no extravagance and wastefulness and that unnecessary costs should be cut. Of course, it is possible that the sum of all these costs does not amount to a great deal of money, but when you cut this, you will become a role model for the people and other organizations and you will determine the path. What you are doing is very good and valuable and you should continue it.
The next matter is preferring general interests to provincial and regional interests. This is one of the things which is very easy to say, but it is very difficult in practice. I myself was in the Majlis once and I know what it is to be a member of the Majlis. Besides, I have been in touch with the Majlis for many years. You should not prefer the interests of such and such an area to general interests. For example, one of the pieces of advice that I have been offering to the Management and Planning Organization and to different administrations and presidents for many years - in the present time, I do the same and recently I offered the same piece of advice to the head of the Management and Planning Organization when I had a meeting with him - is that they should complete unfinished tasks and projects as soon as possible. We have several thousand unfinished projects. These are projects that should have been finished in three, four years' time. Instead, they have lasted 10 years or even more.
Why is that? Part of this results from management weaknesses and part of it is related to lack of resources. If we want to complete unfinished projects, we should not add new projects to our agenda. Otherwise, these unfinished projects will not be completed. It is evident that if we spend all of our money on building a school so that students can attend their classes, this is better than trying to build two unfinished schools. If we do the latter, not even one single student will go to school. We aim high and begin to build two schools, but neither of them will be completed. Is this better or spending all our money on completing a school so that students can attend their classes?
You may think of proposing certain bills for developing different areas such building airports, roads and highways. After all, there are certain expectations. MPs propose these bills in the Majlis and these bills are presented to the administration. The result of this is pressure. Finally, the administration will be forced to agree with them for different reasons. But what is the result? The result is that our, say, four thousand unfinished projects will become five, ten thousand. It is a very difficult task, but it should be endured.
There are many things to be discussed. A poet said, "There is a sea of words flowing in my mouth". We have many things to discuss with you, but we should also consider our time. The last matter is about discipline. Many times in the past, when Majlis sessions were broadcast on TV, I saw that many seats were vacant. Then, I felt embarrassed. We have said to the people that they should go to ballot boxes. They have responded to our request and they have elected their MPs. Now, when you watch Majlis sessions, what is being discussed? Important matters. But when you look, you see that the number of occupied seats is much smaller than the number of vacant seats. Whenever I saw this on TV, I really felt embarrassed. This is indiscipline and it should not be tolerated in the Majlis at all. Participating on time in the Majlis open sessions and in parliamentary commissions and working hard are very important.
Considering the hope that the people have pinned on you and the image that has been created in their minds, I hope that by Allah's favor, your behavior and moves will boost their hopes on a daily basis. I hope that the people are happy that they have sent such good MPs to the Majlis. I hope that they will continue to be happy. If this happens, we will always pray for you.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings