Statements in Meeting with the President and Members of the Cabinet

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

We are very grateful to the Almighty God for granting us once again the opportunity to meet with you, dear friends and esteemed officials, on another occasion of Government Week; to express our appreciation for your efforts, to request rewards and success from the Almighty God for you, and to convey some reminders and observations that need to be shared in this gathering. Of course, there are sometimes observations and reminders that should be addressed to the esteemed officials - whether to the esteemed ministers or to the esteemed President himself - and some matters should be discussed in public, as they have a more social aspect.

First of all, let us not forget the memory of our dear martyrs, the late Martyr Rajai, Martyr Bahonar, and also Martyr Iraqi; they were truly devoted and committed to the values of the Revolution. The reason that the Almighty God has preserved their names and memories may be precisely this. This is a form of divine gratitude and acknowledgment from the Lord of the Universe towards His servants; "Indeed, God is Appreciative and All-Knowing." Although we have no demands, God also expresses gratitude. The Almighty God is grateful to those servants who worked with sincerity and brought all their resources to the forefront. One aspect of this gratitude is that their good name remains for many years. We hope that, God willing, these radiant figures will continue to live in our society; for they are symbols of values. The continued existence of their names signifies the continued existence of values, or it should manifest in this way, God willing.

Well, this year also coincides with the blessed month of Ramadan, and God willing, the blessings of this blessed month will also encompass the government, the officials, and the country. I especially pray during these precious nights of Qadr. Indeed, last night, which was the night of the nineteenth, we prayed specifically for you, the officials, the President, the ministers, and other stakeholders. Although our prayers may not be worthy, we must still ask the Almighty God, and we did. You should also pray and seek success from the Almighty God.

However, what I must first convey is that the year that has passed for the tenth government was a very difficult year, and honestly, the efforts made during this time by the officials and stakeholders in the executive branch were valuable efforts; truly and honestly, they were commendable and praiseworthy efforts. This year was difficult politically and security-wise, as well as in terms of the influence of foreign currents on some sectors of the country, such as the economy and culture, etc. Those who initiated the sedition of 2009 - whether they had designed it themselves or others had designed it; we do not want to assign blame, but this sedition was indeed planned - inflicted a severe blow on the country. If this sedition had not occurred, undoubtedly, various tasks of the country would have progressed better. These actions encouraged the enemies and boosted the morale of those who have formed a front against the Islamic system.

Fortunately, you were able to advance your work with conviction, faith, and steadfastness; to remove obstacles from the path of the country and the system, and to navigate through various difficult passages and challenging turns appropriately. In our view, this is very valuable and indicative of divine attention and grace. Some of the actions that the President mentioned in his detailed report were carried out during this very period - the year 2009 - and despite all the problems and difficulties, thanks be to God, good successes have been achieved.

This is, in fact, a manifestation and symbol of the same orientations that we mentioned regarding those two martyrs; namely, Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar. Truly, Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar were just like this; they embodied diligent work and unwavering commitment to principles. In every role they held, they applied this unwavering commitment to the foundations and values in the course of the country's work.

In past years, it has been customary to hold Government Week and to honor the names of these two great figures; however, all those who honor these two dear martyrs are not truly committed to the path and the orientations and goals they had.

You should take pride in the fact that, thanks be to God, you are committed to the foundations of the Revolution and that you accept and wish to implement the slogans of the Revolution; this is a great success. One of the most important characteristics of this government is that it has adopted its slogans as the slogans of the Revolution and takes pride in this. The people have also supported you for this reason; this should be clear. The people are attached to these slogans, they are interested in them. The slogan of justice-seeking is attractive to the people; the slogan of avoiding elitism is a desirable and attractive slogan for the people; or the slogan of serving the people, or the slogan of opposing global arrogance, or the slogan of simplicity, or the slogan of work and effort in service to the people; these are things that the people cherish and desire. An awake society, a country, and a nation demand these things from their officials: the demand for justice, the demand for fairness, the demand for service, the demand for a close relationship with the people, the demand for religion, commitment to religious values, and adherence to Sharia. These are what the people want and cherish. You have, thanks be to God, given these slogans, and the people have accepted and supported them; consider this a valuable opportunity.

I will present a few recommendations in several headings. Regarding the overall orientations of the government, my recommendation is to maintain these orientations with intensity, fervor, and zeal. Do not deviate from these orientations: the orientation of religion, the orientation of ethics, the orientation of justice, the orientation of service, the orientation of opposing and combating global arrogance and the tyrants of the world. The ever-increasing growth of the understanding, literacy, and political maturity of the people has led them to demand these things more. Today, the issue of opposing global arrogance is clearer, more evident, and more desirable for the people than in previous years and at the beginning of the Revolution. Today, the people have observed many things with their own eyes, they have experienced them clearly; therefore, many things are evident to them. The issue of service provision is the same, and the issue of constant struggle for the advancement of the country is the same; these should be your overall orientations; that is, do not lose sight of them and do not abandon them.

One of the things that should be considered in the overall orientations of the government is facilitating life for the people. Life should be made easier for the people. This is an important heading that, if one were to elaborate on it, we would see that many economic demands, many functions related to the government, this electronic government, up to the issue of activating villages, preventing migration, all fall under this title of making life easier for the people, so that people can live comfortably and securely. This work impacts various sectors.

Another matter that we believe should be considered in the overall orientations of the government is the issue of the Vision Document. This Vision Document was a fundamental task that was carried out in the country; it was reviewed, studied, and its aspects were evaluated. What is stated in this document is not a slogan. This document has been formulated based on capabilities and realities. This document is, in fact, our twenty-year roadmap. Well, five years of this twenty years have passed. One day we will find that this twenty years has passed in the blink of an eye. We must see how far we have progressed. One of the tasks that must be carried out is this; we must see how much we have been able to advance towards those goals based on this roadmap. Otherwise, if we do not have this attention and this reminder, one day we will open our eyes and see that, for example, ten or twelve years have passed, and we have not yet traversed the path we should have traversed in this time; in the remaining time, traversing that path will not be possible. Therefore, a proper classification must be made between the efforts and activities that need to be done and the path we must take towards those goals, so that at each point in time, according to the possibilities of that time, we have made progress. In my opinion, this should be reviewed in one place. This task is also the responsibility of the government; review this.

If you find that we have not approached the goals proportionately over, for example, five years, this indicates that our five-year plan has not been sufficient to bring us forward by five years. In my opinion, appoint individuals to sit down wisely and thoughtfully, considering the realities, to review whether our progress has been proportional or not. Of course, it may not be very precise to calculate in such matters, but it can generally be understood whether we have made progress or not.

Another important matter regarding the orientations is the issue of the decade of progress and justice, which we said should be designated as the decade of progress and justice. Well, this was accepted, and various agencies of the country said yes, let us designate this decade as the decade of progress and justice. Almost two years of this decade have passed. Of course, one observes the manifestations of progress in various tasks; the reports that have been given are good reports; they indicate advancements in various sectors; however, how is justice ensured? That is, a standard is truly needed, a criterion is necessary to see whether justice has been observed in various sectors - cultural sectors, educational sectors, economic sectors - or not? For example, in the field of education and training or in higher education, what is the criterion for justice? How is justice ensured? This must be specified so that we can incorporate that criterion into our planning and in practice and implementation, achieve the desired justice. Until we know and define it, it cannot be done. Therefore, determining indicators and criteria for justice in various sectors is itself an important matter. For example, in the allocation of various budgets - which I will now refer to in the cultural sector - what does justice entail? How can one be assured that justice was observed in the allocation of these budgets or not? These require necessary indicators and criteria.

Another matter that is also necessary in these orientations is the five-year plans; now this fifth plan is under consideration and review by the Parliament, and we hope that there will be real cooperation between the government and the Parliament. If we assume that the government has prepared something and insists on it, and the Parliament makes fundamental changes to it, the coherence of the plan will be disrupted. Or if we assume that changes are made to the fifth plan that are not based on a comprehensive and overarching view of the country, but rather stem from a focus on one sector or a regional perspective, again the coherence of the plan will be disrupted. When one looks at a specific sector or region, some things may seem large and significant. It is indeed the case, and the need is real; however, when one looks at it from a collective perspective, the same need that is significant in its own place diminishes in comparison to the other tasks that need to be accomplished and the limited resources available; naturally, this need cannot take priority. This is how the plan should be viewed. There should not be a sectoral or localized perspective dominating the plan.

Now, this was from one side; from this side, what the government has prepared and presented should be open to change and critique. It should be such that both the Parliament and the government have flexibility from the positions they have placed themselves in; they should be able to move towards each other so that the plan becomes a coherent one that is agreed upon by both the government and the Parliament to be implemented.

In the economic matters, good work has been done, which the President also referred to in his report. It is good to make this report available to the public; that is, it should be something that everyone hears about the government's report on the work that has been done. What I emphasize is this economic transformation plan that was proposed in the ninth government. Well, now the targeted subsidy plan, which is part of that transformation plan, is under discussion and close to implementation; everyone agrees - although there may be differences of opinion regarding the quality of implementation - but the other parts of the economic transformation plan that pertain to monetary, commercial, customs systems, and so on should not be neglected; they must also be pursued. The economic transformation plan was an important and significant task. We recommend; among the things that you should not turn back from is this economic transformation plan; truly pursue it.

Another matter that we emphasize in the economic sphere is the attention to macroeconomic indicators. Of course, there were points in the President's report regarding this, but we also emphasize it. There should be real work done on the growth rate. What is stated as the growth rate in the plan or in the vision is very far from what has actually occurred. Of course, we are not oblivious to the factors of global economic recession and global economic problems - these certainly have an impact - but ultimately, efforts must be made to approach what has been specified and mentioned as an indicator. The issue of domestic and foreign investments is the same. The statistics provided are good and hopeful statistics. In any case, the issue of investment is very important. The future depends on investment in various sectors; whether in the energy sector or in other sectors, investment is necessary.

The issue of employment is also an important matter. The plans that have been anticipated for employment over the past few years have not materialized as one would expect. Although some work has been done now, and it was good, it is not sufficient to absolve us from having a special focus on the issue of employment. The issue of improving productivity is the same.

Again, among the things we emphasize regarding economic matters and present as a firm recommendation is the issue of the policies of Article 44. Great attention must be paid to these policies. Now, in comparing privatization over the long years with these past few years, statistics are mentioned; this statistic is accurate; however, at that time, the policies of Article 44 had not been announced. That is, the time when the policies of Article 44 were not even discussed should not be considered; after those policies were announced, the state of the economy changed entirely; in fact, a new movement in the country's economy began. Therefore, comparing with the period before that is not a decisive comparison. During this period, we must see what we have done regarding Article 44; this is important. See, the spirit of Article 44 was that we could, first of all, bring the people's capital and then the people's management into the economic arena. The people's capital and management - the private sector - must enter the economic arena; otherwise, if the management remains governmental, that goal will not be achieved. Of course, within the limits that these policies allow and with the considerations that are foreseen in the law - which is also an accurate and good law - this must be adhered to.

Of course, in some investments, the private sector is incapable; that is, it truly does not have the capacity for investment. Well, what is the remedy? If the private sector remains incapable, no knot will be untied; policies must move in the direction of enabling the private sector to be able to shoulder some of the large investments. This can also be one of the policies. Of course, when the government removes its shoulder from economic activities, it does not mean that it withdraws from the economy; no, policymaking remains in the hands of the government, it is the government's responsibility; that is, the government must set the policy, and the government must oversee.

In those years of the 1980s, when the gentlemen were moving towards increasingly intensifying the state economy, I used to give an example and say, suppose there is an engine that can carry this heavy load, and you are walking alongside the engine, or you sit behind the wheel and steer it. You have set this engine aside and are carrying all the load on your shoulders, struggling to move forward; you will neither reach your destination nor will you succeed, and not all the load will be carried, and this engine will remain idle here. This engine is the private sector. I used to tell them this at that time, and it had no effect. Imam also said repeatedly to give to the people, and they justified that the meaning of people did not include the private sector - they interpreted Imam's words! - the people meant the masses. How can the masses be helped? The government should take the economy into its hands and help the masses. They interpreted Imam's words in this way! Well, this justification was incorrect.

Now the atmosphere is different. Those who spoke in that manner at that time have now turned one hundred and eighty degrees; that is, they are not even at the level of balance, there is no middle ground. That was extremism, and now they are also committing excesses on the other side. Ultimately, there is a balanced line. The balanced line is this: the people's capital and management should take the economy on their shoulders, and the control and guidance should be the responsibility of the government. If, God willing, this work is done well - which, of course, will not be accomplished in the short term; this is among the mid-term and long-term tasks and requires effort - it will truly be a relief for the country's economy.

Of course, the discussion of combating smuggling and fighting against economic corruption and such matters is also a lengthy discussion; all of these are related to economic issues in one way or another; since we have discussed these matters extensively, I do not want to elaborate further.

Another heading that I want to present several recommendations on is the issue of the country's management. One of the important managements is the Cabinet. The Cabinet holds a very important position. We believe that the Cabinet has a very heavy role. Decision-making in the Cabinet imposes a legal obligation on everyone; on the officials and on the people. The resolutions of the Cabinet have such significance. In the executive tasks, the government is indeed the main actor.

There are several fundamental issues here. One is that the Cabinet must help in the synergy of the agencies; that is, if there is a conflict between the agencies - which usually exists; various agencies naturally have friction and conflicts with each other; this is not specific to here, it is the same everywhere; it is the nature of work - the Cabinet must minimize these frictions and, if possible, eliminate them. This is one of the important issues. I always give an example and say that here is not just an intersection, but several paths, where the President is like a traffic officer - who, in fact, guides in the capacity of the head of the Cabinet - stops one and lets another go; that is, he guides them to synergize and not have friction with each other. One of the roles of the Cabinet is this.

Sometimes these frictions and conflicts that exist in practice and execution are also reflected in the media; this becomes multiplied; in fact, it becomes a double negative. One agency, for example, makes a statement about an object, a phenomenon, gives a piece of news, makes a comment, and then another agency comes and says the opposite! The people are left bewildered; they truly do not understand which is correct or which is not. This issue also relates to the lives of the people; that is, it is not that it is outside the lives of the people; no, it is directly related to the issues concerning the lives of the people. One gives a statistic, another gives a statistic; these should not happen. All governments have faced such issues. In assigning roles to the Cabinet and nurturing this assembly that gathers together and consumes precious time, strive to minimize these frictions as much as possible.

Another important matter regarding the Cabinet is the role of the ministers. Ultimately, there is shared responsibility here. When you sit there, you have shared responsibility. It is not that one person, for example, says, "I have no involvement, no responsibility"; no, when decisions are made in this assembly, the gentlemen and ladies present there are all responsible; those who have a vote are all responsible. Now that you are responsible, you must play a role in nurturing, correcting, and completing that resolution. It should not be that in the Cabinet meeting, for example, one person is busy with their own files, or enters the meeting without considering the topic that is to be discussed; no, the issue that is to be raised, you have a vote there; you must influence the decision-making and, since you are legally influential, you must think about the issue, study it, and bring the expertise of your department and ministry to assist in what you want to present as a resolution in the Cabinet. Of course, ministers have their own authorities; they must be trusted. Those who are at the top of the executive branch - the ministers - must be trusted, and the responsibilities of the ministers must be recognized; it should not be such that it becomes diluted.

Another matter in governmental management is parallel work. There should not be parallel work in the government. Parallel work has several disadvantages: first, a lot of unnecessary human resources are wasted; second, a lot of financial resources are wasted; third, contradictions arise in decision-making - when two agencies are responsible for the same task, one makes one decision, and the other makes another decision - and fourth, above all, responsibility becomes diluted. Suppose in a certain economic issue or cultural issue or foreign policy issue or whatever, if a problem arises, responsibility becomes diluted. When parallel work is done, responsibility becomes diluted. Between the government - that is, the executive branch - and some agencies outside the executive branch, there are some instances of parallel work. Our entire effort is to resolve, correct, and remedy these parallel works. Within the government, there should not be such parallel work. Now, there are specific cases; however, generally speaking, parallel work is not good.

One more point regarding management. Well, sometimes I hear complaints from government friends about some other agencies; often, you are right; that is, it is indeed the case that you have complained about some other branches or agencies like the armed forces and the like; one often sees that the executive officials have a right to complain, and they are indeed justified; because I myself have been in the executive branch, I am familiar with the volume and quality of work, so I see that these complaints are indeed justified; however, at the same time that you may be more justified in some instances, there may also be criticism that is warranted; therefore, cultivate a culture of being open to criticism within yourselves. It should be such that government officials are receptive to criticism. Of course, this is difficult, but one must approach it with an open heart, that: "The essence of leadership is openness of heart." Of course, leadership does not mean being aloof. If you want to manage, you must have an open heart and endure certain things.

A year or two ago, when this assembly was present here, I made a complaint about the cultural issue from the government apparatus. Now, fortunately, one feels that cultural work is being given attention in the government. Large and significant cultural budgets and various cultural activities and the repetition of cultural issues are good; one observes this attention and feels pleased; however, at the beginning of this year or last year - I do not remember - when the cultural budget was discussed, I told the President that when I heard you approved this large cultural budget, I became concerned about how it would be consumed and absorbed; although one should generally be happy when the cultural budget increases. Our managers want the budget given to them to be absorbed; because they know that if they do not absorb it this year, there will be no news next year; therefore, they are compelled to absorb it. Well, absorbing the cultural budget in the right place is very difficult; it is not easy. Cultural work is not like construction where one can say, "Very well, this is the land, these are the materials, now go and build." Cultural work has very difficult materials to obtain; its architect and craftsmen are very hard to find. Therefore, in my opinion, in cultural work, one must pay attention to what aspects of cultural work we prioritize. In some of those previous periods - which we do not want to specify too much and name names, but there is no way around it; one must compare - they wanted to do cultural work, they said cultural budget; they began to restore the Shah Abbas caravanserais along the way as cultural work! Yes, restoring the Shah Abbas caravanserai is a good thing, it is a historical artifact; but is this our priority in cultural work? We are facing immense global propaganda pressure; politics serves culture, economics serves culture, art serves culture, to exert pressure on the internal culture of our nation. They know that if they change the culture, there will be no struggle left. If there is a struggle against global arrogance, if there is a desire to resist and oppose foreign interference, it is because of culture. A person has a culture; if they come to change that culture, everything becomes theirs; therefore, all the pressure is on culture. In the face of this cultural movement and this massive cultural invasion that seeks to take away the spirit of the Revolution, the spirit of independence, the spirit of religion from us, is our cultural priority to go and restore the Shah Abbas caravanserai? This means misjudging the priority of cultural work; this is a flaw. Therefore, in cultural work, what should we pursue? We should pursue productions. In a meeting we had last week with students - which, fortunately, our contact and meeting with students is not infrequent - I saw these revolutionary youth, these children who are our hope for tomorrow, from various organizations and from the elite themselves - outside of organizations - emphasized the production of cultural goods; how much cultural goods we produce and how much we should produce. Well, you have done a detailed work here, which I may later point out to you privately.

The second point in this regard is: now that we have identified the cultural consumption that should be prioritized, we should go to its content. Ultimately, we want to make films. For example, we want to make ten revolutionary films; ten films that carry values. Or we want to publish a certain number of books; what should their content be, how should they be, with what strength, with what scientific and artistic substance should be employed? These are very delicate and difficult tasks.

In cultural matters, do not pursue ceremonial and superficial works. Displaying cultural work does not only have no benefit; it also has drawbacks. In cultural matters, we must pursue substantive, authentic, and real works, which is also the major need of the country today.

I also noted a sentence here regarding the statements of the President, who said we do not see the Foreign Minister because he is often traveling. Well, this frequent external activity and travels and so on indeed deserves much appreciation; however, there is a point here, and that is that diplomacy is not just about movement, going, sitting, and meeting; these are the body of diplomacy, these are the physical aspects of diplomacy - which are indeed very important - the body has a soul; this must be strengthened in the diplomatic apparatus. Of course, the gentlemen are indeed making efforts; we should not be ungrateful for the efforts they are making; however, I wanted to remind you in this regard. Suppose we have a summit, we have a meeting; well, what comes out of this meeting? In some places, it is very good; like this NPT summit that was held in New York; well, it was one of the interesting and prominent tasks that were accomplished; or some other tasks that I am informed about - some meetings, some negotiations, some sessions - when one looks at their contents, one sees that they are good contents, meaning it is evident that work has been done; however, some require reflection, require precision and review.

In diplomacy, these movements must be placed in a correct direction and with complete content. All diplomatic actions must be centralized in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; that is, these must be guided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And in economic negotiations with countries, in our opinion, the part that is responsible for economic issues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be the focal point of these travels and movements.

May God, God willing, grant us all the success to carry out the tasks that are expected of us and for which the Almighty God will question us. In the noble supplication of Makarim al-Akhlaq, it is stated: "And employ me for that which you will question me about tomorrow."; that is, O Lord! Employ me in those matters about which you will question me tomorrow on the Day of Judgment. There are certain things that will be asked of us; we must find success in relation to them. May God, God willing, assist us and grant us success to move in this direction and fulfill our duties. May God, God willing, reward you and increase the atmosphere of work, love, effort, struggle, and revolutionary spirit in our country day by day.

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