Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with the Cabinet on the Occasion of Government Week

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

First, I extend my greetings and congratulations to all of you dear brothers present here—our dear and respected President Mr. Hashemi, Mr. Haj Seyyed Ahmad Agha, the esteemed and honorable son and heir of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), and each of you very good, devoted, and hardworking brothers.

It is necessary on such a day and occasion to honor the memory of the dear martyrs of these days. Our dear martyrs, the late Mr. Rajaei and the late Mr. Bahonar, were truly two outstanding examples of the companions of the Revolution and the Imam. We should also remember the late martyr Iraqi, whose martyrdom anniversary falls on these days. He was also among the devotees of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). God willing, may God gather these dear ones of the Revolution with His saints and grant us the success to move with all our being in the path of our esteemed martyrs, which is the path of God, the Quran, and the Imam.

I find it my duty, on the occasion of the formation of the new cabinet, to thank the members of the previous cabinet, especially our good and dear brother Mr. Engineer Mousavi, who truly worked with all his being during the most difficult times for eight years. I witnessed and consider it necessary to testify that those brothers endured much heartache and had significant concerns and efforts in those difficult conditions. Those efforts, thanks be to God, also had their results. Some of those brothers, thanks be to God, are present in this cabinet as well, and we hope they continue their efforts, and some who are not in this cabinet, God willing, are and will be among the serving elements of the Islamic Republic system.

I must congratulate our dear people because a President with these characteristics is truly a divine blessing for our nation, revolution, and country. The presence of Mr. Hashemi and his responsibility are both a blessing for the people and us. I appreciate this blessing and am sure that the people also appreciate this blessing, as they demonstrated in their vote and declaration of loyalty, and they will continue to demonstrate it, God willing.

For you brothers who work with this group and with him, certainly a separate congratulations is necessary. Another congratulations to you is for the expression of confidence by the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The discussions of these past few days in the Assembly were very interesting and truly exceptional, indicating complete freedom, which is, of course, one of the great advantages of our country and Assembly. Those who doubt the principles of Islamic governance and complete Islamic freedom in the country should see this great advantage of our Assembly, where representatives express their agreement and disagreement with complete courage, frankness, and a sense of duty. This is a great blessing that we enjoy.

In these days, the very critical sense of responsibility of the Assembly was also revealed in giving a vote of confidence to all the members of the cabinet, showing that the Islamic Consultative Assembly truly understands the realities and interests of the country well and considers itself responsible in front of the existing truths and the people. The great evidence of this was that they gave this high vote of confidence to you members of the new cabinet. I thank all the representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, especially the devout and Hezbollah brothers and sisters, who, with their positive vote, enabled the cabinet to start its work as soon as possible. Of course, we will have continuous exchange of views, consultation, and cooperation with you brothers in the future.

You know well that in Islam, responsibility and duty are not one-sided. When people govern in the Islamic sense—not in the tyrannical and common sense among ignorant thoughts and minds—and take on the management of the country and bear the heavy burden of responsibility, a mutual duty and responsibility arises between them and the people. From today, you have a right over the people, and the people have a right over you. The people's right over you is that you work for them with all your being. This is nothing new for you. You have always passed this test and worked for the people. This reminder is primarily for myself and then for you and all those who have a responsibility on their shoulders, as advice.

We really must work with all our being and use whatever capacity and innovation we have in our bodies and minds to manage the affairs of the country and guide the people's work towards an Islamic life. Islamic life does not mean attention to spirituality and not materialism; just as it does not mean attention to materialism and not ideals and spirituality.

This cabinet has announced that it intends, God willing, to solve the people's problems to the extent possible. Mr. President has announced that the cabinet is a working cabinet and its intention is to carry out tasks in various branches with power and strength. This promises a good future; but some should not think that solving the issues of a nation that has endured eight years of war and global pressures means distancing from spirituality and ideals.

The enemy and foreigners portray it as if a group working to create welfare and solve people's problems necessarily means distancing from spirituality and ideals! This is wrong. This is the thought of naive individuals and the distortion and deception of malicious individuals. Islam has a program and goal for both the world and the hereafter of the people. The officials managing the country are obliged to attend to the material affairs of the people as much as they attend to their spiritual affairs.

Foreigners advertise that if a group wants to solve the people's problems, increase production, activate mines and industries, make agriculture fruitful, and operate factories at full capacity, then this work must mean forgetting or weakening and diminishing the ideals and spirituality and goals of the Revolution. This thought is the thought of the enemy who wants to instill it in the minds of our people, and it is very regrettable to see that some individuals who are friends, naively and foolishly, repeat the same words of the enemy!

The world and the hereafter, welfare and ideals, can progress together and alongside each other. The notion that an idealistic society will not reach the solution of material and welfare problems means saying that religions and sacred things and spirituality and ideals do not care about the world and people's lives! This is contrary to the explicit Islam and all religions. Certainly, moving towards solving people's problems and opening the way towards a prosperous, healthy, and good life, where people benefit from abundance and affordability and other facilities, is an Islamic duty that rests on everyone, especially on you who are the officials and managers of the country. This work is practical and certainly part of the Islamic ideals and our dear Imam's.

A believing and revolutionary society will resolve the conflict between the fleeting and easily accessible world and the enduring and difficult-to-reach ideals in favor of the latter. Achieving ideals is difficult; but the Iranian nation, in your comprehensive and long-term planning, God willing, will achieve its Islamic ideals and spirituality. We are not in a hurry and do not make the country's officials anxious. God willing, with patience and careful attention, plan in all sectors so that the economic, cultural, health, and treatment sectors, services, production, and especially some special sectors—such as agriculture and mining—receive a proper shake-up. Your duty to the people is to move with planning.

On the other hand, the responsibility of the people towards you is not separate from your responsibility towards them. It cannot be said that you are responsible to the people, but the people have no responsibility towards you, or the people are responsible to you, but you have no responsibility. Both are responsible to each other. This is the word of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and the Islamic way of thinking.

The first responsibility of the people is to support you to the highest degree, as without their support, work will be difficult and sometimes impossible for any government. People should look at you as their trustees and representatives who are seeking to solve their problems. One does not behave badly with their lawyer and does not criticize them and considers supporting their lawyer and representative as their duty. You are the people's lawyers. Both the President, who is elected by millions of people, has introduced and selected you, and the representatives of the Assembly, who are the people's lawyers, have confirmed you and selected you and voted for you. People must defend and support their lawyers and trustees, who are you, to the maximum.

Another responsibility of the people is to pay attention to the difficulties of the work. During the war, we saw that sometimes an irresponsible voice would rise from a throat and sadden and depress the people and the great Imam, and of course, the sadness and concern of the Imam and the people were not because of the value of these voices, but because of the misunderstanding of some who did not understand the problems and realities of this system as a global threat.

Today, the great global powers and bullies and anti-people faces of the world, and at the head of all of them, America, look at Islam and the Islamic Republic as a threat and danger, and it is natural that they will not have a clear heart and a helping hand and will create problems, as they have done so far. You who have been in previous governments and in the Assembly or in other sectors know what problems they have created.

Of course, these problems and obstacles are not much in the face of human will and the will of a nation and the will of the believers and can be overcome and passed, and the people know this; but there is no doubt that it creates problems in the speed and ease of work. People must understand these problems and not act hastily and anxiously so that, God willing, the country's officials and you can carry out the work with all possible strength and power. Of course, people have the right to ask the officials of each sector after a reasonable time what the result of your work is? You must prepare yourself to answer. You must organize the work in such a way that you can show the product and result of it to the people and explain the reasons for its shortcomings. People are calculating and alert.

The matter that should be considered by all the working brothers from the government and judicial officials and all sectors is to observe justice and fairness in all matters. We must move towards eliminating and removing the wrong and unjustified privileges, contrary to the tyrannical system, and God willing, establish the true Islamic justice. The oppressed and remote classes from the center and villagers and nomads and those who have more problems must certainly be prioritized in planning, and this priority should not only be in the economic sector but also in all kinds of cultural services.

May God, God willing, give you goodness and help you. I congratulate myself, the nation, and all the believers in the world who are interested in the religion and interests of this nation on the formation of this cabinet and such a very efficient and dear group. We consider your presence valuable and congratulate you on this very heavy and great responsibility. May God, God willing, grant you success and support you so that we can all fulfill our duties together.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings