Supreme Leader’s Speech in a Meeting with President Ahmadinejad and Cabinet Members

Supreme Leader’s Speech in a Meeting with President Ahmadinejad and Cabinet Members
29/08/2011

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on August 29, 2011 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his cabinet members.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Today's meeting was a very good meeting. I hope Allah the Exalted will bless your sincere efforts and intentions and your selfless statements. I hope this meeting can help all of us - all our people and government officials - to easily tread the path that lies in front of us, the path that is very glorious and of course difficult.

First of all, I would like to congratulate our honorable statesmen on Government Week, which is in remembrance of two of our great martyrs [Shahid Rajai and Shabid Bahonar]. I commemorate these two martyrs, who started important things in truly difficult times, and I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow the highest positions on them and on other martyrs.

I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our dear people for their impressive presence in Quds Day rallies on Friday. This year's Quds Day was indeed a symbol of the presence and motives of the Iranian nation and this is what spreads hope in the region and makes nations resist.

I also deem it necessary to thank the administration for its services, some of which were mentioned in today's meeting. I would tell the honorable brothers and sisters who have attended this meeting that I personally asked Mr. President to have his esteemed ministers present a separate report of their area of responsibility. Well, this meeting was a good meeting and your reports were also good, documented, logical and statistical.

The point which I want to add is that in the numerous meetings which I have arranged with our prominent university and seminary figures on various levels, they have repeatedly complained about you honorable officials. They complain that you do not consult with them. This is a flaw that you have. I made the same point a few days ago in a meeting with university professors. In that meeting they made the same complaint repeatedly and I also pointed it out.

Well, today's meeting mainly revolves around economic issues, which happens to be the main issue of the country too. Economy is one of the important areas that is debated among government officials at different levels and among certain people who have complaints and criticisms. Explain and justify your economic measures to our prominent figures. Imagine that the esteemed Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance or the Governor of the Central Bank arranges a meeting with a large of number of academia. Among the questions and criticisms that are voiced in the meeting, there may be loaded questions and criticisms that are not professional, but it is all right. Among the 200, 300 or 500 people who attend the meeting, there may be 10 people who might voice such questions and criticisms. You should just go to the meeting, but you should not focus your attention on the ten people who have such questions and criticisms. You should simply focus your attention on the other 490 people and speak to them. Certain criticisms might be made in the meeting which might be useful to you. In this way the necessary cooperation will be created in the area of economic measures and issues related to labor, employment and other such things. I believe this is necessary. This is my advice to you.

I demand that the details of this meeting be made public. That is to say, each and every one of the reports which were presented by the esteemed ministers and deputies of the President should be reflected in the media so that the people can listen to them. However, I would tell you that the numbers and statistics would not stick in the minds of ordinary citizens. Professionals will make better use of these statistics and they will make inferences on the basis of your statistics. You should go to these professionals and you should discuss these things. Most probably they will provide you with feedback. They may make a valid criticism and this is something that will help you. This is my advice to you and I emphasize it. We must not just wait for the President to arrange meetings with our prominent figures. Ministers can do this too. Of course it would be very good if the esteemed President was present in the meetings with our prominent figures.

Now I would like to offer a few recommendations. I have always repeated these recommendations and I will just emphasize them in this meeting. The slogans of the ninth and tenth administrations have been attractive to our faithful people. Promoting justice, fighting arrogance, propagating simple lifestyles, countering aristocratic manners, opposing special privileges, combating favoritism in economic and non-economic matters and rendering sincere services are some of the examples. You know that these slogans were the reason why our people supported this administration and the President both in the year 1384 and in the year 1388. That is to say, the people love these slogans. They feel the need for these slogans. Therefore, you should not give up these slogans. One of the most essential slogans was commitment to the principles and values that our magnanimous Imam introduced into our society. As it happens, these slogans were also the reason why the Islamic Revolution became popular in the world. That is to say, our magnanimous Imam became popular in the world and among other nations although we did not have any propaganda tools. We neither used the necessary propaganda techniques, nor did we know how to do so. This popularity was because of the slogans, attitudes and orientations. The fact that you stand up against the power of the camp of arrogance - which is currently represented by America and global Zionism - brings about respect and popularity for you. It creates hope in the hearts of other nations. We must not give up these slogans. Take care not to let your methods, statements, attitudes and performance work against these slogans.

Work for the sake of God. You should not do something simply because the people love it. If the goal is defined as attracting the hearts of the people, we will fail. "I will definitely shatter the hope of those who pin their hopes on somebody other than Me." As far as I remember, this is a well-documented qudsi hadith which quotes God. We should pin our hopes on God and we should work for the sake of Him. But we know that working for the sake of God attracts hearts. These slogans are divine slogans. If this commitment to the slogans is undermined, divine blessings will stop. Many of the achievements that you have accomplished in the arena of executive work and all the achievements that we have made since the beginning of the Revolution are due to divine blessings and assistance. If we do not work for the sake of God, these achievements will be taken away from us. You should maintain your enthusiasm, efforts and sincere services without expecting anything in return. This is an essential point.

I said earlier in a meeting with our government officials that you should tell the people both your strengths and your weaknesses. This is important and effective. This is the second point. Among the reports that were presented today, I noticed that certain people indirectly mentioned the weak points, saying that certain things remain to be done. They were suggesting that they have failed to do certain things. Just say these things explicitly. Say, "We should have done this, but we could not." Nobody will criticize you simply because you did not manage to do something. For example, tell the people that you have done 10 things, but that you have not managed to do 2, 3 or 5 other things, which you are planning to do. Say this explicitly. Nothing is wrong with this. Do not be afraid that a certain critic - who might also bear some grudges against you - may use your comments to prove his point. Let him do that. What is wrong with it? Just say, "Yes, the criticism that has been leveled against us is valid." Acknowledge the flaws, but tell the people that you are planning to eliminate them. Announce that you have done certain things and that you are planning to do certain other things. This is my advice to you.

Of course you can adopt two different approaches to the criticisms that are leveled against the administration in the media, newspapers and certain official centers. One approach is to justify and explain your measures, which is good. The other approach is to adopt a hostile attitude, which is not good. You should not think that simply because the administration is faced with hostile and spiteful criticisms, you should respond in the same way. No, you should explain and clarify. Clarification is necessary and the right way is to explain things in your meetings with the people. You should let them ask questions and then you should present answers and explanations. And your answers should be reported in the media. If you manage to clarify well, ulterior motives of spiteful people will not get them anywhere.

I would like to add another point in this regard. One of the weaknesses is the failure to get the priorities right. One of the gentlemen rightly pointed out that it is necessary to follow up the projects which have not been finished. This is a very good point. It is necessary to do this. I have always emphasized this point. However, you should assign a task force to prioritize the projects which have not been finished. The gentleman said that a specific number of projects have been left unfinished. But which of these projects are a priority? Which of them have been promised more? In other words, which of them do the people expect to be done first? You should specify these things. You should work on them. You should prioritize certain unfinished projects over new projects. It would be very good if all the promises made by the administration were fulfilled. If a promise is made to the people but it is not fulfilled, it will create problems, not just for the administration, but for the entire system.

Mr. President pointed out that the administration is criticized for having raised the level of public expectations. The fact that public expectations have risen is not because you have acknowledged your weaknesses. Expectations rise because of promises. If we manage to keep the promises we make to the people, their expectations will turn into faith and confidence. This is good. We should keep the promises that we have made to the people so that they can see our promises have been fulfilled. Today I noticed that your statistics were comparative, which is very good and appropriate. You should also compare the promises that have been made with the things that have actually been done. Calculate a percentage so we can see what the situation is like. This is very important.

The issue of economic jihad is the next point that I would like to discuss. This issue has been repeatedly discussed and the friends who spoke in this meeting also mentioned it. The reasons behind naming this year "The Year of Economic Jihad" should be clear to you government officials. I believe economic jihad is a necessity for the country, not just a priority. It is an absolute necessity. First of all, economic progress and boom are directly linked to living conditions of the people, an issue which has always been one of the most important goals of all governments in all parts of the world throughout history. Of course this only applies to governments that care about their people, not bullying and oppressive governments. Any government that is determined to render services to its people has to consider living conditions of its people as the most important issue. Well, this depends on the economy of the country. A good, healthy and thriving economy can improve living conditions of the people. This is one reason why we should engage in economic jihad.

Reaching the goals specified in the 20-Year Strategic Plan is another issue. The strategic plan specifies the goals. It is a high-level document. We should definitely pay attention to it. We will not achieve the goals specified in the strategic plan in the absence of economic jihad. According to the strategic plan, Iran should turn into the most powerful economy in the region. If we fall behind in this race, we will be harmed. I said before in another meeting that this is not a matter of keeping up with our neighbors in the region. The issue is that at this point if a country falls behind in this general challenge and in this arena of action which involves governments, its rights will be trampled upon. We want to make economic progress and achieve the goals specified in the strategic plan because if we fail to reach that point, our nation and country will receive powerful blows. We will probably receive fatal blows. We need to reach that point. Considering the slogans that we are shouting and the goals of the Islamic Revolution, there is no other option. The truth is that the Islamic Republic has challenged the order of arrogance, domination and sacrilege. This is a movement that has already started. Being defeated in this arena will bring about irreparable damage and the consequences will not be limited to our nation. Therefore, we must definitely achieve victory in this arena. It is not possible to win such a victory with these tools. We need different other tools as well. One of these tools is economic progress.

Another issue is that today the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation are using economic tools against us. The sanctions which were mentioned in this meeting are an example. Of course I deem it necessary to thank the people who are working hard to make the sanctions ineffective. It is necessary to use all the correct, logical, clever and wise techniques in this regard. You should make use of such techniques and make the sanctions ineffective. Make the actions of the enemy ineffective - the enemy that is big in size, yet not so powerful. The bulky economy and military of the arrogant powers standing against us remind me of "Tom and Jerry" cartoons! They are like Tom. They do a lot of things, make a lot of noise and are big in size, but the result of their actions is not as good as expected. This is really the case. Everything depends on your cleverness.

They were speaking about smart and crippling sanctions, but we see that their sanctions were neither so smart nor so crippling. The same sanctions caused us to become self-sufficient in many areas. They encouraged us to increase our scientific activities. They led to great achievements in manufacturing industrial, military and other products in the country. They encouraged us to invent new ways of countering these sanctions.

You should know that these sanctions will be rendered ineffective. They will not be able to continue this behavior for a long time. This is not possible. That is to say, the world will not accept this behavior. Today the world is not listening to America even if it sends special envoys to different countries and reproaches them. This situation will continue for a while, but it cannot continue for a long time. Of course as I said a few months ago, what they used to call crippling sanctions in the beginning of this year was expected to show its crippling effects in 3 or 4 months. This was what they expected. More than 4 months have passed since then, but not only did the sanctions fail to become crippling, they also led to increased activity in the country. This is the reason why economic jihad is necessary. That is to say, a selfless, purposeful and clever movement should be started in the country while relying on Allah the Exalted and having confidence in divine assistance.

One instance of this economic jihad is the economic overhaul bill which was proposed by the administration two, three years ago. One article of the bill was about subsidy redistribution, which was thankfully operationalized after the necessary laws were passed in the Majlis. Of course I have a question about helping production. The gentlemen who spoke in this meeting said certain things in their reports, but the bill that was passed in order to help production has not been implemented yet. You should help production. Of course these production centers will manage to stand on their own feet in the long run and by Allah's favor, they will manage to become stronger on a daily basis, but in the short run it is necessary to provide these centers with the resources they need. It goes without saying that you must seriously counter those who cheat by getting loans from the bank and spending them on something other than production. You should not have mercy on them. But wherever you are needed, you should really go and help. Therefore, as far as the subsidy redistribution plan is concerned, the production sector should definitely be taken into consideration.

The other parts of the economic overhaul plan should also be taken into consideration. One of these parts is about our customs service. One of the gentlemen said in his report that a bill has been submitted to the Majlis in this regard. Another part of the economic overhaul plan was about financial and banking policies of the country. All the five, six parts of the overhaul plan must be implemented. Set things in motion in the remaining part of your term so that others can continue your work later on. That is to say, do not leave things unfinished. Two years is not enough to do these things. Even the initiative to redistribute state subsidies is not finished and it will have to go through different stages. You started the work and moved forward and by doing so, you finished the job in a sense. Starting something is in a sense equivalent to finishing it only if the start is made in a correct and principled way.

Of course the issue of imports, which was mentioned in one of the reports, is among my concerns. The report might be accurate, but judging by what can be observed, the situation is a little disturbing. The growth rate of the proportion of imports to exports might have slowed down and this is a positive sign, but we must not feel satisfied and stop trying. Particularly we must try to avoid importing agricultural products as much as we can. Go after industrialization of agricultural exports, which was mentioned in the reports as well. These are important things. By Allah's favor, you will focus your attention on these areas. The people will tolerate and they will accept your decisions.

Therefore, you should make a major revision regarding our import policies, particularly in the areas in which we enjoy a production advantage - both in industrial and agricultural areas. We must seriously avoid allowing each public sector to import according to its needs.

The next point is related to culture, not economic matters. Today no reports were presented about cultural matters: they were postponed to another meeting. I deem it necessary to advise our government officials to take the issue of culture very seriously. If we engage in economic activities as we have planned but fall behind in the area of cultural work, I ensure you that the country will be harmed. Our economy is one of the areas that our enemies have targeted. Another important area is our culture. Of course there is not enough time to discuss the issue in detail and this meeting is not appropriate for that purpose. However, all the friends should pay attention to the point that considering our revolutionary and Islamic orientations, cultural work is very important. Do not stand on ceremony when it comes to culture. In all cultural matters - including books, artistic works and cultural organizations - make your orientations revolutionary and Islamic. Take the priorities into consideration in cultural matters as well because our resources are limited. Of course the administration has proposed a good budget for cultural affairs although I heard that a large portion of the proposed budget has not been approved. Even if the proposed budget had been approved, it would not be sufficient for all the cultural activities we have in mind. I presented a number of suggestions to the administration. I suggested that if certain things were taken into consideration in cultural matters, there would be certain priorities. That is to say, certain things would be more significant. You should pursue these priorities and try to actualize them.

There is another issue which I will try to outline in this meeting. Considering all the duties that the administration has to shoulder, you should take care not to get involved in problematic side issues. The administration is making efforts. We are in need of hard work and thankfully the ground has been prepared for this. Well, the ground has been prepared, there is a pressing need for hard work and the administration has shown that it is prepared to take risks and step into the arena of hard work with all its heart and soul. Considering these conditions, it really inappropriate to fuel side issues - both the side issues that you occasionally create because of lack of care and the ones that other people create and get you involved. It is necessary to avoid these side issues. Do not let conflicts and tensions be created in the general atmosphere of the country and between the people and government officials, conflicts and tensions that might prevent you from making efforts.

My advice is that you should pay attention to a few points regarding nationalistic tendencies. One point is that Persian language and literature are the most important part of our nationalism. Love for Iran would be realized in this way. We have different languages in the country, but Farsi is our national language. Those who speak other languages are among the most fervent promoters of the Persian language. The best articles on the Persian language have been written by Azeri speakers. I know this for a fact. [A government official interrupts and says that the same is true of Kurdish people.] Hopefully Kurdish people write such articles as well. I would not object. I welcome it. Prominent Azeri researchers of the country have written the best and the most influential articles on the Persian language over the past decades. Therefore, it is wrong to think that Farsi is not the symbol of Iranian nationalism - it definitely is. This issue should be highlighted.

Similarly it is necessary to highlight the post-Islamic era in Iran. The achievements that Iran has accomplished during the Islamic era are unprecedented in other eras of our history and this can be proven. Great conquests, great military victories, impressive scientific advances in different areas - all these things were achieved after Islam was introduced into our country. This is not to say that such things did not exist in Iran before Islam, but those achievements were less than the achievements we made during the Islamic era. Of course certain claims are made about pre-Islamic Iran, but these claims are not supported by evidence and nobody has proven them. In fact these claims are not verifiable. But what has happened during the Islamic era can be proven. They are clear. Just notice how much military, scientific and cultural progress was made in the country during the time of the Deylamis, Seljuqs, Safavids and even during a certain period of the rule of the Mongols. After the Mongols came to Iran, they were influenced by the culture of Iran and became Iranian, just as they became Indian when they went to India. Notice how many outstanding scientific, cultural and artistic achievements have been made during the Islamic era. If somebody wants to support Iran and Iranian nationalism, the Islamic era is more documented, more acceptable and more evident. The books, architecture and scientific achievements of the Islamic era are more evident. The history of the Islamic era has been clearly recorded.

It appears that we are getting close to adhan. The last point is that you should resolve the issue of cooperation among the three branches of government. I often give this advice to all branches of government and I would offer the same advice to you. Try as much as you can to back down whenever you can. What is wrong with this? Explain things when it is possible for you to do so. Try to resolve the problems in a friendly way whenever you can. Why do I insist that the heads of the three branches of government should arrange meetings with each other? When such meetings are arranged, many of these problems can be resolved. This way they get the opportunity to sit down and speak to each other face to face. This can help resolve many of the problems. This is what I have learnt from experience. Let us assume that some of the methods tried by the friends have failed to produce the desired results in the past. It does not matter: there are other ways. After all, this is how differences of taste and different interpretations of the law are reconciled. Try to have a friendly relationship with other branches of government. If you notice a behavior which you do not like, you should consider your own behavior and see if you play a role in creating the problem. And if you realize that you are playing a role, you should put an end to it.

I will pray for our esteemed government officials, the heads of the three branches of government and each and every person who is playing a role in running the country. May Allah the Exalted increase His blessings on you so that you can do the duties that are expected of you in the best possible way. Make your intentions pure. Step into the arena of hard work in a sincere way. Do not at all let your efforts - which you have come to be known for - decrease.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings

http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1517