Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with the Cabinet at the Start of Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani's Second Presidential Term

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

First, I must congratulate our dear brothers on the commencement of this new and very important responsibility. Although when one observes the luminous faces of the ministers of the Islamic Republic and considers their purity, piety, God-fearing nature, and religious belief, one feels that this congratulation should be extended to the people, who, thanks be to God, have officials who are committed, devout, interested in work, and passionate about service. We hope that, God willing, this government will be an embodiment of that noble government we pray for in the 'Dua of Iftitah' and request from Almighty God.

It is necessary to express our worthy tribute to the esteemed martyrs of the Islamic Republic government, Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar, right here. Likewise, to the rest of the dear martyrs who, over the past fourteen or fifteen years, accepted great responsibilities, exposed themselves to immense dangers, and attained the honor of martyrdom. May God elevate their ranks and unite them with their saints. Of course, the greatest gratitude and tribute is due to the pure spirit of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), who opened this path, and it was the great endeavor of that man that granted everyone the opportunity to serve the people of the Islamic Republic to the extent of their ability, enthusiasm, and interest. Some of the ministers who were present in the previous term and whom we visited during Government Week in other years are not among you and are not present in this cabinet. I consider it my duty to thank those gentlemen and dear brothers who, truly and justly, each contributed their share, made numerous efforts, and accomplished many tasks in the field of their responsibility. May God accept from them.

What should always be a matter of concern for me and you gentlemen, who have been granted this success to serve the people, is precisely this matter of service. The difference between the Islamic Republic and other material systems, which are not primarily based on a divine thought in the realm of human issues, lies in this one point: in the Islamic Republic, the minister, official, president, and manager, at any level, have the primary intention of serving the people and assisting in the dissemination of divine thought and the noble and worthy life that Almighty God has ordained for humans. This is the principle. Personal benefits are not the goal. The manager does not work for himself.

Indeed, among our managers, there are those who, if one observes their daily activities, one sees that perhaps once or twice a year, they do not work for themselves. That is, they do not have the opportunity to attend to themselves and pursue their personal matters. Often, their personal matters are greatly neglected. Their time, thoughts, and efforts are devoted to serving the people. This is the main desire, and you gentlemen must not lose sight of this point for a moment: the goal is to serve.

Of course, 'service' has various interpretations. Everyone may consider something as service. We have a perspective, a thought, a doctrine, upon which this system is built, and that is the doctrine of Islam. It is the divine thought. It is the monotheistic thought. It is the same thought for which these vast masses of the nation were willing to sacrifice their youth in the path of God and forsake everything without looking back. Service means moving in this path, which inherently entails serving the people. This is the main issue that we must remember at every moment.

Of course, you believe in this meaning; you act upon this meaning; you are travelers on this path. However, humans are forgetful. The reason we mention this is that humans need constant 'reminder' and attention. Of course, everyone needs it. We know great figures from the people of spiritual journey and moral conduct who would tell others: 'Sit and advise me!' because humans need advice; they need reminders. You must constantly keep yourselves reminded. Arrange it so that you remain reminded. Refer to moral narrations. Refer to moral books. Read what is said about the virtue of serving the people and what defines the philosophy of governance in Islam.

What does governance mean? Governance means establishing a right; upholding justice. The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, in that famous speech (52) which you have all heard, said that this governance is not worth more to me than this shoe or the strap of this shoe. Then he said: 'Except that I establish a right.' In this path, whatever one endures, whatever hardship one bears, whatever extra work one does, whatever sleepless nights one endures, and whatever deprivation one faces from the usual amenities that people have, it is deserved, it is justified, and one has not lost. It is also narrated from the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, that in one of the sermons he says: I am willing, the essence of it is, in the path of establishing a right and nullifying falsehood, to be dragged over harsh thorns. In any case, this is what forms the basis of our work, and you must pay attention to it.

Of course, when I speak on these matters with friends and responsible brothers and managers of the country, considering that I know most of you closely—perhaps there are a few with whom I have not had close working relations, but with most of you, over these many years, I have had close cooperation and acquaintance—I know how your thoughts and work are, and I am more familiar with your virtues than other people. Therefore, my main emphasis is on the selection of colleagues. I have repeatedly mentioned this, and I mention it again. You must pay attention to this point: sometimes a manager, in his work environment, naturally relies on individuals and cannot personally do all the work. Inevitably, there are people with certain authorities in certain settings, and sometimes you see them moving in a different path. The first bitter fruit of this will be that they will hinder the work of this manager. Then, of course, the country suffers; the goals suffer; the people suffer. But the first problem that arises is that the manager himself sees that his work is not progressing. This is because he has relied on people who are not qualified. In the ministry environment, you must bring in those who are deeply committed to this path and goal. This is the first condition. Because if they are not deeply committed, even if they have ability and expertise, that ability and expertise will not be employed in the service of the path you are striving for. This is a natural matter. They must be committed. Thanks be to God, today, after fourteen or fifteen years since the revolution, the debate over commitment and expertise that existed at the beginning of the revolution no longer exists. It does not make sense for us to say commitment or expertise? Both commitment and expertise; because, thanks be to God, good managers have been trained, and there are outstanding personalities.

Now, if we truly want to find outstanding managers at the ministerial level, we can identify countless numbers. That is, truly, the Islamic Republic has no problem in this regard. I do not accept that we are facing a shortage of managers at high levels. It may be so at medium levels now; but at high levels, thanks be to God, we have good managers, and you can use these faithful and committed individuals.

I want to express it this way, and this expression is telling and expressive: My point is that in the ministry environment, you should make the Hezbollah atmosphere prevail. With the same meaningful weight that the word 'Hezbollah' carries. The devout people must govern the fate of the organization. Of course, at various levels, one can use all those who know a little and are not even in agreement with us and even say, 'We are not in agreement,' there is no problem. I know parts of the country where the manager working in that part—of course, a manager at lower levels, or a specialized expert—does not even believe in the path of our revolution; but he has placed himself in the service of this management; in the service of this organization or this ministry or this department and is working. In this way, you can use the services of individuals. But those who are decisive, who determine the path, and especially at high levels of management and also in the expert analyses that are directive, must be individuals with a deep revolutionary and Islamic spirit. This is the foundation of the work, and if it is done, in my belief, all the goals you have set for yourselves and included in your programs and expressed in your speeches and statements will be realized.

We, thanks be to God, lack nothing. I do not believe at all that the Islamic Republic is incapable of achieving its goal of establishing a society based on social justice and public welfare. I do not believe this at all. I also do not believe that we need to rely on others in this matter. Of course, interaction with others, using others, cooperating with others, and exchanging with others is always good; it is good at all levels. Of course, with the boundaries and limits that the law and the country's policies and the discretion of senior managers determine. But reliance, no! Dependence and inability without it; I do not believe in such a thing. The basis of the country's organizational management is also this, which has been repeated many times: social justice. In all religious works that you look at, the goal and purpose for the movement of the Islamic society is the establishment of a just society. Regarding Imam Mahdi, there are so many works, and in most of them, it is said that the great one will come to fill the world with justice. More than it is said 'to fill the world with the true religion,' it is said 'to fill it with justice.' That is, what is primarily emphasized is 'justice,' which must be realized.

As Mr. Hashemi pointed out, one of my wishes is truly this: attention to deprived areas and the oppressed classes of the country and those areas that were neglected by the tyrannical regimes in the past. This is among the very necessary and obligatory tasks that, God willing, you gentlemen, wherever you are, whether in economic, technical, scientific, or cultural matters, should pursue. This will be what the people and the Islamic Consultative Assembly expect from you.

I emphasize: cooperation with other branches—the judiciary and the legislative branch—is also a very fundamental and important issue, which, thanks be to God, in recent times, has been a cooperative and kind approach. The judiciary is active, diligent, and engaged in valuable services. The legislative branch moves and acts with a sense of responsibility and concern for issues. You, too, thanks be to God, are the elected government of the people and the representatives of the people, and we hope, God willing, that this cooperation will be carried out and continued in the best way.

Regarding policies, as was mentioned, God willing, we will propose something. Of course, what has been presented by the officials is not as policies. It is as a general program and not the constitutional term. But what we will present in response, God willing, will be what can be called 'policies.' God willing, it will be a general framework for your macro-planning at the threshold of the second program.

God willing, you will be able to take this great step in the best way and advance it. We hope that God will grant you success. I pray for you gentlemen, and especially for Mr. Hashemi, who truly bears this heavy responsibility. He is truly among the righteous of our time. We thank God that this responsibility is in the hands of someone like him. I especially, by name and continuously, pray for him and also for other officials and others. We hope that you will be under the attention of the Guardian of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him; under the pure prayers of that great one, and God willing, you will be able to carry this heavy burden to its best destination.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings