Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Government Officials

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

At the outset of my remarks, I find it necessary to pay tribute and honor the memory of two great martyrs, Rajai and Bahonar - whose brief but brilliant tenure in responsibility will never be forgotten by us and the nation - and also to honor all the martyrs of the government - who are among the dearest martyrs of this nation, some of whom held high positions and yet placed themselves in the path of sacrifice and became martyrs. I congratulate all the dear brothers in the government, especially Mr. President and the esteemed ministers present here, and I also thank you for the considerable efforts being made in various sectors, which I am often aware of.

Of course, I know that there are many details, efforts, struggles, and concerns that are neither reported nor can be written down; rather, they remain between that conscientious and caring individual and God, and the divine reward for these efforts is very high and valuable. I also have a complaint about this matter that these efforts are not reflected as they should be. Certainly, one can address the media, broadcasting organizations, and the press, and express grievances to them; however, in my opinion, the government itself should be the most accountable in this regard. The work that has been done must be artistically utilized to correct the mindset of some individuals who do not have a correct perspective and to inform the people; to provide clarity. Because the volume and quality of the work is truly high, think about it; simply stating that a certain amount of work has been done or that this amount of work has been accomplished in this sector is not a very effective or productive method; truly, effective methods must be considered. The points that the gentlemen made in this session are very good and should be appropriately conveyed and reflected so that the people know that the officials in high government positions are undertaking a tremendous amount of work. For example, the statistics on the reduction of inflation growth at the beginning of the year eighty-one, which Mr. Minister of Commerce mentioned, is important. These are matters that, if stated and the people are informed, are beneficial, because the efforts made over several years to bring about such an event are not easy, and controlling inflation growth is a significant and difficult task that has ultimately been accomplished. Of course, this recent growth has somewhat disturbed minds and provoked complaints, and now you are trying to curb it, and I want to say do not stop this effort; that is, make sure that this effort continues - the committee mentioned was formed in Esfand eighty-one, and this inflation mainly occurred in the first couple of months of eighty-two. Sometimes this committee is formed; it is announced, and then suddenly, for two or three months, prices rise unexpectedly! - and do not allow discrepancies to be seen and arise. Seriously pursue the work in the same manner that has been followed in the last couple of months.

I have many things to say to you dear friends that I know will be of interest and appealing to you, but there is no time now; as the famous saying goes: "A chest full of words surges in our mouths"; many of these words may be hopeful.

My first point is that do not abandon this path of independent effort and struggle, relying on God Almighty, because all the goodness and blessings for the country exist under this principle. The foundation is that an official should strive for work and effort, and their main goal should be divine satisfaction, which, of course, in the course of divine satisfaction, is the satisfaction of the people; that is, where we work for God's pleasure, we must also consider the satisfaction of the people to be achieved. Wherever we have fallen short, its effects have been seen, and that is due to a lack of steadfastness on this path. Continue this path; it is a path of great blessings.

Today, our beloved country is not comparable in terms of progress to twenty or twenty-five years ago, while during these twenty-five years, all the powerful institutions of the world have been politically, technologically, scientifically, and commercially at odds with us. This is a reality. We have, of course, tried to normalize our relations with the world and have been largely successful; however, it has not been the case that there has been a strong and deep motivation in any part of the world to assist us. On the contrary, there have been centers that have sought to sabotage. The successes that you see today, whether in technology, in the construction of fundamental and essential infrastructures for the future of the country, or in scientific growth in various fields, have been achieved under the banner of our national and Islamic identity. This must be continued.

The second point is that the tasks that a government must undertake are generally of two types: one type consists of fundamental constructive works, and the other type consists of tasks necessary for facilitating the current lives of the people. The nature and prerequisites of these two types of work differ from each other. Although the first type of work will ultimately lead to the desired outcome of the second type of work; that is, you who are currently working in the fields of oil, roads, industry, agriculture, and commerce, are undertaking lasting works that will eventually be reflected in the lives of the people three, five, or ten years from now, and the people will undoubtedly feel the results of your work in their tables, homes, and pockets; however, these works are, for the time being, long-term and constructive works that shape the overall framework of the country. But the second type of work consists of daily tasks, which I believe require more delicacy than fundamental and foundational works. When I say daily, I do not mean that daily work is of no value, so that we say we have fallen into daily routine; no, rather, I mean urgent tasks; those that are currently needed to advance the country and achieve its goals.

We want to carry out all our tasks under the banner of reliance on the nation - which has been the case so far, and everything that has been done in this country has been accomplished with the support of the nation - because the nation has had a heart in harmony with the government and has cooperated and endured some difficulties and has helped wherever necessary, and we have been able to traverse this difficult path until today. The first condition is that we must keep this nation in the scene. This is a consensus among all, and everyone says this; however, different paths are proposed. What I believe is necessary to maintain the cohesion of the people with the government is to eliminate the issue of political tensions. We must do everything possible to prevent the political atmosphere of the country from becoming tense. Of course, one side of the issue may be you or part of you - I do not want to address all of you; my audience is all the institutions of the country - but overall, when I look at the political scene of the country, I see unnecessary disputes. These disputes poison the political atmosphere of the country, and breathing in it depresses and sickens the people spiritually, and naturally, it affects their affection for the system, the country, and the officials. Of course, it may be that in a particular incident, one person's popularity rises while another's falls; or one section rises while another falls; but in another case, the opposite will happen. Of course, the result is the same; the result is detrimental to the country. One of the important goals of us and you friends who are present in the government - who are among the partners in this matter - should be to strive to keep the atmosphere of the country logical, reasonable, and free from disputes and political conflicts.

Another issue that causes alienation and discouragement among the people is the discrimination and opportunities allocated to individuals that are sometimes observed. Ultimately, people become aware, and the enemy, who is engaged in psychological warfare against us, exploits these issues. I do not want to give examples, and you see many instances of it yourselves. Wherever you are, do not allow these blatant discriminations and exclusive opportunities that arise for some to exist; in my opinion, it is not right. In this regard, the issue of economic corruption arises, which, incidentally, Mr. Mazaheri did not have the opportunity to express, but I have looked in detail at some of the reports he provided and the report prepared by our office. Good work has been done; especially in that committee to combat economic corruption that the heads of the three branches established, and some of the friends present in the session are members of it. There, good resolutions have been made, many of which have often been stalled in the bureaucratic complexities of the government and parliament. I believe it was last year that I mentioned in a session with you government friends or another session that, in my opinion, the center that should pursue the fight against economic corruption is the government, and the judiciary comes in at the last stage. The government must take the lead and come forward and seriously pursue the fight against economic corruption. Where a bill is needed, it should be drafted and immediately submitted to the parliament and demanded from the parliament. When a bill comes, it becomes law; it must be executed meticulously. Where a law is not needed, various circulars and government resolutions suffice. Ultimately, it must be pursued seriously; we must take this matter seriously.

Our legitimacy depends on the fight against corruption, discrimination, and the pursuit of justice. This is the foundation of our legitimacy. Now, much is said about legitimacy; I also know a lot about these discussions; however, the truth of the matter is that if we do not pursue justice, truly, my existence here will be illegitimate; that is, whatever authority I have and whatever I manage will be illegitimate; others will be the same. We have come for justice and to eliminate discrimination. We have come to enable society to benefit from its divine blessings - the most important divine blessings exist in justice - as well as moral and spiritual blessings. Of course, this does not mean that we neglect the worldly lives of the people; no, how can that be? The afterlife cannot exist without the world, and it is impossible for a person to seek those spiritual blessings while having a ruined world. This work has clear reasons that I do not want to repeat - matters that both you and I know - we must build the world, and all these works are about building the world; however, a world built away from justice and spirituality is of no use. Even if our growth - in the incorrect expression that is said, the growth rate - increases, and suppose our per capita income doubles or triples; however, if there is no justice in society; that is, the majority of this income reaches a limited section, and a vast majority of the people remain deprived and hungry. This is not the work we should do; this is not the duty we have. Our duty is to establish justice in society, and this is only possible through the fight against corruption and the greed of opportunistic individuals and abusers. Part of the work of justice is organized here.

Another issue is the existence of two erroneous propaganda tendencies: one is that some attribute every existing problem in the country to the system, which is currently the case. If there is discrimination and poverty, and if we encounter external problems, they question the framework of the Islamic system and the constitution and attribute every small problem in any corner to the system! This is wrong. The opposite of that, which is one hundred eighty degrees different, is that some absolve the system - which they also summarize the system in leadership or something like leadership - from all faults and attribute every problem to four or five officials of a section of the system. This is also wrong. We have problems that are often due to the performance of our own collective. We must recognize the roots of the problems and critically examine ourselves - just as Mr. Khatami pointed out in his opening remarks - identify strengths and weaknesses, and compassionately address the weaknesses and eliminate them. This will lead us to success.

Another topic is the feeling of luxury and affluent living among officials. I truly suffer from this. This is not directed at you. Some of you have very ordinary and good lives. The trend of work should not lead to increasing luxury among officials and the appearance of this meaning; this is wrong. Of course, in the way our travels, works, lives, and meetings are reflected to the people, sometimes things are seen that discourage the people and deeply affect them.

Another factor that causes alienation among the people is the propaganda of weak management in the country and the lack of authority. Unfortunately, there are various advertisements from opposing factions in the country that cause one to suffer from this. As we clerics say, they seem to create a composite consensus; some from this side, some from that side, and they question the management and authoritative governance in the country; of course, some with one motivation and others with a hundred percent opposing motivation, both of which yield bad results. The country is currently being managed well. Is it a joke that a country with seventy million people, with such magnitude and with all these demands and expectations and with all these hostilities has made such progress?! Is it possible for such a thing to happen without management and by sitting idly and leaving affairs to their own devices?! It is impossible; no, thank God, there is strong management in various sectors of the country. Of course, there are deficiencies and shortcomings that should not be underestimated, and they should be repaired and corrected, which also requires that same management and authority. This is a point that you must pay attention to in your statements.

Of course, there are also narrow-minded performances. Some individuals, for minor issues, portray those in society as disconnected from the system and opposed to the system. This, unfortunately, comes from both factions. One faction does so under the guise of religious strictness, while another faction does so as criticism of the system; anything that is seen in a corner is labeled anti-system; no, that is not the case. There are many young people who may have behaviors that do not conform to some standards; however, their hearts are with the system. They are the ones who come out in gatherings, elections, demonstrations, and places where national sentiments are expressed, showing their interest in their country and system. Those who are opposed to the system are very few in the country. The people see that there is a system that is active, working, persevering, and striving; therefore, they are interested in their Islamic system and in the management that currently exists in various sectors of the country, and they also see its effects and results. Of course, they may have criticisms and objections that should also be acknowledged and heard, and they should be dealt with; one should not immediately judge that this is the case here, that is the case there.

In the second type of work that needs to be done for the people, I recommend that you strive to instill hope in the people regarding the future of the system and the improvement of their situation, and to assure them of your compassion towards them. The people should feel that the officials of the country care about them and understand their issues. This very effort and action that the government took to prevent inflation has had a very positive effect on the people, and many of them were pleased and happy. It is true that the work has not yet been fully completed and that further actions must be taken in this regard; however, the fact that the government immediately became aware is important. One sector raises prices, and another sector does the same, and they do not pay attention to the overall issue and the cumulative result of these price increases on what happens to the people and how the lives of particularly vulnerable groups transform negatively. The government became aware and took action; good statements and good efforts were made. These are matters that I believe are beneficial and should be paid attention to.

Another point is that in economic work, the main effort should be focused on production. The essence of the matter is production. See where in the entire set of regulations of the country there are obstacles to production, and remedy them. Of course, this requires a broad perspective and a comprehensive economic view that all sectors - the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Central Bank, the Ministries of Industry, Agriculture, Commerce, etc. - which are partners in the composition and organization of the country's economy, should think together about this issue and see where there are obstacles that hinder production - whether industrial production, agricultural production, scientific production, and whatever pertains to the Ministry of Science and Education and research and studies. Today, there truly exists a ground for production in the country, and we have good managers, specialists, and talented individuals with warm hearts. A few days ago, I received a report regarding the production and replication and freezing of stem cells. This is a very significant and complex scientific work that has been carried out in a few countries in the world. In our country, this work has quietly taken place and has not yet been announced. In my opinion, the importance of this work is no less than the nuclear work we have done. This work will have great value in the future of world medicine, and the world will refer to it as a medical revolution. A group of young, faithful, revolutionary, and truly jihadist individuals, who are among the members of the Jihad University, have worked on this issue for several years and have achieved good results - of course, the work must continue until it reaches its final results - which, God willing, they will announce themselves. Therefore, we have such grounds for scientific and intellectual growth in the country that are of high value.

Another point is the issue of saving. Yesterday, when Mr. Mazaheri and Dr. Shibani were here, I saw that they also emphasized saving. Truly take saving seriously. In some places, we have waste of national wealth; truly, saving should be considered a principle in the government.

Regarding production, I would like to say that we should move towards consuming domestic products. When they were going to build the international conference building - the building that we are proud of today - the engineers came here. I told them to make a firm decision that no foreign materials would be used in this building. Only at the end of the work, in some of the sound and electronic work and the use of fireproof carpets that we cannot produce domestically, did they use foreign products. This grand building is made of ninety-some percent domestic materials. I firmly stated this several times during the construction of that building and communicated it, and they went and pursued it, and it happened. We can do it; we have so many domestic products: ceramics, glass, and such good wooden works that, again, gentlemen, especially these companies, import from abroad!

Regarding political tensions, especially in this period as we approach elections, I ask you - especially the political sections of the government - to seriously pay attention to this matter so that we can create a political atmosphere in the country on the eve of elections that is moderate, calm, and pleasant, to encourage the people for the elections. By God's grace, we will have a lively election - and so it will be, God willing, you will see - and by God's grace, there will be good participation from the people in this election. I have always said that the outcome of the election, which is a very important matter, is our second priority. The first matter is the election itself, which must take place with enthusiasm and popular participation. This is the first priority. We must do all we can to ensure that, God willing, we have a good election. Do not allow mistakes to occur in decision-making and actions like some recent incidents that occurred and were not desirable, so that God Almighty may also bestow His grace and mercy upon us. God willing, may you be successful and supported, and may God bless you.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.