In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master Muhammad, and upon his pure household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth
I beseechingly ask Allah the Exalted to render this beginning a blessed occasion for the people, in particular on days characterized by the Ahlul Bayt (greetings be upon them). A few days ago, we had Eid al-Ghadir and tomorrow is the Day of Mubahalah – the day when the ayah of Wilayat and of Tathir were sent down: “Your wali are Allah and His Messenger” [The Holy Quran, 5: 55].
These days belong to the Imams (greetings be upon them) and I hope that in the shade of their assistance, prayers and intercession, this day becomes a joyous occasion for the Iranian nation.
First of all, we should be thankful to Allah the Exalted for once more having bestowed the blessing on the Iranian nation to successfully conclude another election, which is a sign of religious democracy. I also wish to thank the people and express my gratitude to the 12th administration – the honorable President of the 12th administration and his colleagues – and I ask Allah the Exalted to shower His blessings, assistance and special grace on Mr. Raisi and his colleagues.
The presidential endorsement ceremony is a sign of electoral freedom and health in the Islamic Republic
Based on the Constitution and the tradition established by our magnanimous Imam in the country, the endorsement ceremony has been held many times in the course of these decades and thus, it is a manifestation of the rational, calm and peaceful transfer of power in the very important executive branch, which is in charge of management in the country. This is a very important matter.
In many countries, this transfer of power is normally carried out with tension. However, in our country, it has been done in a peaceful and safe manner in various terms. The same thing happened this term too. This is both a sign of rationality, peace and tranquility among the people and officials, and a sign of political diversity. The administrations that have held office until today have had various political orientations. This diversity is naturally a sign of electoral freedom and health. These are very important matters. One should see these things in the events that take place in the country.
Thanking the people for their presence in the elections
Thankfully, the elections were held in a completely healthy and safe manner. I wish to thank the electoral organizers in different organizations and also those who ensured the safety of the elections, which was a very important task. In particular, I would like to thank the people for their presence because since long ago, plots had been devised by the political think tanks of the enemies of the country and the Islamic Republic to impose a ban on the elections, and some people inside the country pursued it as well out of ignorance or perhaps with some ulterior motives.
The people, though, responded firmly by participating in the elections and the turnout was good. Considering the circumstances that existed, the participation rate was good and it showed the people’s presence on the scene. I thank God for it and I am grateful to the people as well.
Emergence of hope and harmony is one of the results of power being transferred
One point is that the transfer of power generates hope because new people enter the arena who have new ideas and who are new personalities. They bring new willpower into the field.
This boosts the hopes of those who are motivated to serve, especially those of the youth. This is a very valuable and important matter. The transfer of power gives experts in various areas the opportunity to ponder over the past, examining previous errors in the process and then eliminating them and issuing warnings to others.
The President’s insistence on revolutionary values
Fortunately, in the statements of the honorable President, Mr. Raisi – his statements during presidential campaigns and the like – there was an insistence on the basic values of the Revolution. He placed great emphasis on administering justice, fighting against corruption and other such values. This is the right path.
I firmly advise him to follow up the same path. In the speech that he delivered today too, he highlighted these values. The path that helps the country and the nation achieve its fundamental rights and the path that puts the country in the right position and status, is the path of insisting on the basic values of the Revolution.
The values are not some odd and vague values. When you look at Imam’s (may God bestow paradise on him) statements, you see that they have been clearly and specifically explained there. Officials should use and pursue these as their yardstick. The essence of following up these goals encourages the people to show determination, enter the arena and follow up the matters.
The people’s presence solves all problems
The main issue, the main key is the people’s presence as it solves all problems. Anything that guarantees the people’s presence and encourages them to show their presence in the arena – in various arenas which are important for the country – is valuable. There is no alternative for the people’s presence and that was the main feat accomplished by the Revolution.
The main achievement of the Revolution was that it changed the masses of the people from a passive and consumerist group of individuals devoid of any national and public outlook to a motivated, passionate, determined, purposeful, idealistic and active people. That was the Revolution’s big accomplishment.
We were witness to the situation before the Revolution. This was really the case. The nation used to be a disjointed group of individuals in which everyone was thinking about their own interests. There was no national goal and no national concern. Some people would say something here and there, but the masses of the people did not take heed of that. With his divine and spiritual movement, our magnanimous Imam managed to turn that disconnected and disoriented mass into a unified and harmonious group of people in the true sense of the word.
He brought them into the arena and accomplished a great historic feat by uprooting the tyrannical monarchic system. Anything that can turn the nation into a unified, enthusiastic, motivated and active unit and anything that can help this happen is valuable and important. In my opinion, acting on the basis of revolutionary values has such a characteristic.
Advice to the President and the new administration: Being a man of the people
One word of advice to the honorable President is that he should not abandon the slogan of being a man of the people and being among and listening to them as he chanted that slogan in his presidential campaign. This is a very important slogan. His slogan was “an administration of the people” and he should realize it and be among and by the side of the people in the true sense of the word.
“The people” means everyone, without any privilege for a certain class and a certain group. Of course, presence among the people – as the President already has a history of doing so – should not make one ignore contact with elites. Being in contact with elites is a very necessary and valuable move in its own respect. Exchanging viewpoints with elites and benefitting from them is valuable.
The administration should be the manifestation of unanimity
The administration should be the manifestation of unanimity. Some of the false differences that exist among the people should be weakened by adopting an attitude of harmony and kindness towards the masses of the people. Of course, such differences might not completely disappear, but we should prevent them from impacting on the movement of society.
Sincerely speaking to the people
Speaking to the people sincerely is one of the measures that help a president be popular. Speaking to the people in a sincere manner without political adornments will help. Officials should speak to the people in a sincere manner, they should say to the people what the problems and solutions are, what the people themselves are expected to do and they should offer the people the necessary support. Speaking to the people is one of the most important tasks that a popular administration should be committed to.
Paying attention to domestic capacities as a solution for existing problems
Another piece of advice is to pay attention to the capacities. These days, if you look at the comments, essays and writings, you notice that they focus on the shortcomings and problems. Yes, there are many shortcomings and problems, but the existing capacities are greater in number. There are myriad capacities in the country. We have extraordinary capacities in the area of water, oil, mining, extensive domestic markets, relations with neighbors, and the astonishing talents and enthusiasm of our youth. These are our capacities. Undoubtedly, they can overcome the problems provided that they are identified correctly, worked on and utilized efficiently. This requires round-the-clock and untiring diligence. Surely will the utilization of these capacities help overcome the current shortcomings.
Combating corruption
Another aspect of popularity is combating corruption. If we truly wish to be by the people’s side, we should incessantly fight against corruption. Mr. Raisi started the movement to fight against corruption in his previous responsibility [head of the judiciary branch] and good moves were made, but the main essence of the issue is in the executive branch.
In other words, the groundwork for fighting corruption must be laid in the executive branch and therefore, one should combat it in this branch. Tax evasions, unnecessary monopolies and abuse of the preferential currency rate, unhealthy speculation, smuggling and the like are the forms of corruption that should be seriously confronted with good plans and with insistence.
Our experience in all these years show that we sometimes begin an endeavor in an enthusiastic, determined and motivated manner, but we do not keep the same motivation in the second phase of the endeavor. This is of no use. We should maintain our motivation and determination and continue it until we achieve results. One should combat corruption like this.
The necessity to have plans for the economy of the country
Another important point, which is my next piece of advice, is that one should have plans for the important issue of the country – the economy, which is the fundamental issue of the country. Every measure that you adopt should be part of the plan that you have already prepared. Improvised and unexpected actions cannot solve any problem. Of course, it sometimes happens that administrations are forced to make an improvised move in economic or non-economic areas. That is another issue, but generally speaking, every economic move and action should be reliant on a general plan and the move should fulfill part of the plan.
Of course, solving economic problems takes time. Our people know that these problems cannot be solved overnight or in a short period of time. It takes time. One should show determination and shorten this time as much as possible. Our affairs should move forward, by the favor and guidance of Allah the Exalted and with the prayers of Allah’s great Wali (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake).
Certain things need to be said about foreign policy, culture and other matters, but we should not lengthen the meeting more than this. By Allah’s favor, if I am alive, I will discuss these matters in other meetings.
The necessity to form the administration as soon as possible
Another essential piece of advice here is that the formation of the administration should be accelerated. The circumstances of the country do not allow for any delay in the formation of the administration. The honorable President should quickly introduce his proposed ministers to the Majlis and the honorable members of Majlis should accelerate the approval process so that the administration can be formed and start work as soon as possible.
The significance of confronting the enemy’s propaganda war
The last issue is about the enemy’s propaganda war. Today, the enemy is more active in the soft war – the media war – than in the security and economic war. They spend vast amounts and hatch many plots in order to dominate public opinion in our country. They hire many talents so that they could dominate and control public opinion in countries – especially, our country which is the target of superpowers – by waging psychological warfare and launching propaganda moves.
When public opinion in a country is possessed by foreigners, then the affairs of that country will be shaped according to their whims. Promotional work is important and we have shortcomings in this area. Excluding the ignorant people who use domestic media in favor of the enemy - I do not want to discuss such people - even those who are well-intentioned, their work falls short in this regard. Therefore, we should act more efficiently and more intelligently in the domain of promotion and media.
I hope that Allah the Exalted will help the esteemed officials, the honorable administration, the new President and his colleagues to do the necessary tasks that are to the advantage of the country and the nation.
I hope that Allah the Exalted will help and offer His guidance, and that all experts, intellectuals and influential personalities help so that the task will move forward smoothly, God willing.
God’s greetings be upon the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) and God’s mercy be upon our magnanimous Imam and our dear martyrs who opened this path to us as a result of which we found the opportunity to tread this path.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings
