Statements of the Supreme Leader in the Final Interview of the Visit to Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province

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

The purpose of the visit is essentially twofold: one is to meet with the people and inquire about the various segments of the population and to be present among them; the other is to gain information about the province's conditions and to acquire firsthand knowledge of the province's situation. This is the aim of all visits to different regions of the country. Although I had come here before, since it is a province that is deprived in various aspects, it was necessary to make another visit here; and so we came.

I found the people here, as I had previously determined, to be very good and possessing many moral virtues. Firstly, they are people with a somewhat tribal disposition. Although not the entire province is tribal, those qualities of chivalry, courage, frankness, spiritual purity, sincerity, and hospitality exist among the people of this province. They are very interested in the officials of the country and the officials of the Islamic Republic system and truly interact with them with enthusiasm and excitement. When we came, the people showed utmost kindness and affection.

During this trip, I also visited the nomads of the region. Of course, I had visited them in previous trips as well. The area we are in is a nomadic region. It is a place where a number of nomads have settled. They are not migratory and reside here throughout the year. However, the living conditions here are accompanied by great deprivation. They do not have proper housing, roads, healthcare facilities, or educational facilities. Their situation is very poor.

Of course, it should be said that in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, according to reliable statistics that have reached me, the work done since the victory of the revolution until today is perhaps several times—ten times or more—greater than the work done in the entire period before the revolution. Nevertheless, the numerous services that have been carried out in this province are not sufficient to meet the needs of this province. An example is this nomadic region. The road from Shahr-e Kord to here—the Bazft region—is very long. People do not have roads; they do not have secondary schools; they do not have healthcare facilities and truly have many shortages.

Fortunately, in this trip, both the honorable Vice President, Mr. Mirzadeh, is with us, as well as Mr. Basharti, the honorable head of the country's deprived areas affairs, and the honorable Minister of Jihad of Construction. That is, all the means of work are here with us. Therefore, last night in Shahr-e Kord, we held a meeting to review the plans, and I saw that a total of nearly one billion tomans is to be spent on the projects and plans of this province. A significant amount was committed by Mr. Mirzadeh from the government budget; a large amount was committed by Mr. Basharti from the special budget for deprived areas, and a significant amount was also undertaken by the Minister of Jihad of Construction, Mr. Forouzesh. Last night, when I saw the gentlemen's plans regarding roads, electrification, water supply, educational units, assistance to universities, assistance to schools, teachers' houses, and various other plans, my heart truly rejoiced, and I saw that they have worked well. For this very region we just came from—of course, before our arrival—they have planned roads and paths, which is very important. They have also planned schools. Even now, it has been decided here that a bathhouse will be built, and other works will be done for this region and also for the rest of the province.

We hope God will help them to carry out these works. The gentlemen promised me that the works that have been decided will start from tomorrow; that is, throughout this province, tomorrow, which is Saturday, a number of workshops will be equipped, and work will begin. This road that is supposed to be built will start from tomorrow. That is, the work is not for six months or a year later. This is the promise they made. These works must be carried out.

God willing, they will act in this way. I, too, although I have complete confidence in the gentlemen—that is, I know that they themselves are passionate and do not need anyone to urge them to work and are truly attracted to working for the oppressed—nevertheless, as a precaution, I will inquire. After a month passes, after two months pass, I will gather information on how much progress has been made, how much has been done, and how much needs to be done; so that there is no delay in the work.

Usually, we follow this news both through the local governor and through our own office. Thanks be to God, the works are progressing well. In other places we have visited—such as Bushehr, Ilam, and Lorestan—the works we promised have mostly been completed. Very few of the projects have not been completed due to obstacles. However, the rest have all been completed. Here, too, God willing, all these works will be completed.

I must take this opportunity to send greetings to the dear people of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari. In these two or three days that I have been a guest of these people, I truly feel at peace. The purity of these people and their talents and capabilities are among the things that are very interesting. Especially the cultural talents and capabilities of these people are noteworthy. They are people of literature; they are people of poetry. In this very place of 'Labd' where we are, as we were climbing this slope, I saw one of the gentlemen reciting poetry. I listened to see what kind of poetry it was. I found the poems to be very good! Both their themes are good, and their words are very good words. He recited the poems with great fervor and enthusiasm. I asked, 'Whose poems are these?' He said, 'My father composed them.' I asked, 'Are you literate?' He said, 'No!' This gentleman was not literate; but he recited a poem as long as an elaborate ode, with complete composure and firmness, like an educated person, well and from memory.

Or, right here where we are sitting in this tent, this gentleman, our host who was sitting here, began to speak to us with poetry and prose!

Truly, one enjoys the cultural level of these people. Although literacy is not formal literacy, the cultural spirit and cultural talent exist. When one sees these, one curses those wicked khans and the kings more wicked than the khans, who kept the people backward for many years. They kept these people illiterate and deprived, exploited them, and milked them without providing any benefit to them. We hope, God willing, that in the era of the Islamic Republic, this will be compensated. Of course, a large part of the nomads of this country, thanks be to God, have reached relative stability in the era of the Islamic Republic. These areas, too, God willing, must reach stability as soon as possible.

God willing, you will be successful. Now, if you want to know the statistics of these works in detail, Mr. Mirzadeh and Mr. Basharti are here. You can ask the gentlemen so that they can tell you and the people can be informed.

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