Supreme Leader’s Speech to MPs of 9th Majlis

Supreme Leader’s Speech to MPs of 9th Majlis
13/06/2012

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on June 13, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with the MPs of the 9th Majlis.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I would like to welcome the dear brothers and sisters, the honorable representatives of the brave and pious people of Iran. I would also like to express my gratitude to Mr. Larijani for the good and useful points he raised, both about the history of parliamentary legislation in the country and about what is expected from the Majlis. The points he raised are right. By Allah's favor, if the honorable members of the Majlis plan and follow up their moves in an independent way while remaining open-minded, keeping the interests of the country in mind, remaining courageous against the enemy and being hopeful about the future, they will definitely benefit the country and we will move forward on our path.

Having a sense of responsibility and making our intentions and actions pure are an essential point that all of us should pay attention to. I myself need to pay attention to this point more than you, and all of you need to pay attention to it on the basis of your responsibilities. If you pay attention to this point, all the problems will be resolved and all the paths will be opened up in front of us. If we pay attention to this point, we will benefit from divine blessings and assistance, a fact which has been pointed out in the ayahs that were recited at the beginning of this meeting. "O you who believe, if you are careful of (your duty to) Allah, He will grant you a distinction and do away with your evils and forgive you." [The Holy Quran, 8: 29] If we have a sense of responsibility and make our intentions and actions pure, the illusion of being weak and helpless against the enemy will disappear. Reliance on God and developing a relationship with Him - which is the result of pure intentions - will solve all the problems. This was how the Revolution achieved victory. If our magnanimous Imam (r.a.), who was a leader in the real sense of the word, had not relied on God and did not enjoy this purity, the Revolution would have never achieved victory. If the people who stepped into the arena and the outstanding personalities who encouraged them to do so had not worked for the sake of God and with pure intentions, they could not have moved things forward. The same is true of the Sacred Defense Era. It was pointed out that many of you were present in the Sacred Defense. Those of you who were present know what happened. This is the main secret: we should try to fulfill our obligation and satisfy God. The result will be the same if we view life the way a businessman does. I have pointed out over the past years that being martyred in the way of God is the death of a businessman, a death that is profit-based. This is indeed true. Those who are not martyred in the way of God will die one day. Those who do not give up their life for a divine cause will have to give up their life in the end. This is something that will happen one day and it is inevitable. It is better if we give up our life for a divine cause before we lose it. It is better if we use our inevitable death as a tool to achieve happiness, a tool to benefit from divine mercy. Martyrdom is indeed the death of a businessman.

The same is true of the efforts that we make for materialistic purposes. If we give up money, if we give up haraam pleasure and passions, we have done something that a businessman would do and we have made a profit. This is because worldly pleasure is nothing compared to what Allah the Exalted will give us for the sacrifices we make. This is the nature of efforts for a divine cause. I believe this is the basis of all our issues.

You have become an essential pillar of a government that has emerged from a chaotic materialistic world, a government that is promoting spirituality and is criticizing the path of the materialistic world. It is natural for such a government to face enmities. Some people directly or indirectly complain that we should not provoke the hostility of the world, but I believe this is a thoughtless comment. You naturally start a fight when you promote spiritual and religious rule, when you promote religious or Islamic democracy. The problem of the world is that it is faced with a call to religion. When I say "the world", I mean the organizations that are in charge of managing the world. Their survival and identity depend on plundering, harming humanity and working against human values to achieve material gains. You have heard about pharaohs and you have seen some of them. Pharaohs are against human values and the world has fallen into their hands. You will naturally face certain challenges when you establish a government that supports a tendency towards spirituality, a government that defends human values, a government that defends divine values - and divine values are the soul and essence of human values. In order to face these challenges, it is necessary to rely on a source of power. This source of power is not weapons, atomic bombs or other such things. Rather, it is a spiritual source of power. It is reliance on God. This is the essence of the issue. You and I need to make our intentions, hearts and goals more divine. If we succeed, our problems will be resolved. If we succeed, we will move forward. If we succeed, the enemy will despair of defeating us. The enemy is faced with many limitations. Analyzing these things requires long and detailed discussions which are not appropriate for such meetings. Thankfully you are knowledgeable and your intellectual level is high, and you can analyze different issues well. This is the truth of the matter. The more one manages to strengthen one's relationship with God, the more successful one will be in confronting the enemy and the obstacles will be removed. We must keep this in mind. Of course, every responsibility, every task, every mission has certain requirements. And naturally there are certain requirements that have to be met by the Majlis. There are certain other requirements that have to be met by the executive branch. The same is true of different public and private organizations as well. This should be our goal: we should work for the sake of God. Many of the criticisms that are made against us - and many of them are valid criticisms - will be addressed automatically if we rectify our intentions and orientations.

I would like to summarize the issues relating to the Majlis. The Majlis should be both alive and healthy. These two characteristics are necessary as far as the Majlis is concerned.

Being alive means that the Majlis should be dynamic, active and vibrant. A Majlis that is stagnant and inactive, a Majlis that fails to produce good output in different areas - such a Majlis is defective. Vibrancy and dynamism are the signs that show the Majlis is alive. How can we ensure that vibrancy and dynamism will manifest themselves in the outside world? For this purpose, it is necessary for the Majlis to fulfill its responsibilities appropriately, by passing good laws. Under the topic of "good laws", one can specify ten, fifteen standards: for example, the laws should be up-to-date, original and consistent. This is the first requirement. The second requirement is appropriate supervision. After all, legislation and appropriate supervision are the two main responsibilities of the Majlis. Appropriate supervision can be operationalized. It has certain characteristics and it is necessary to specify these characteristics. You are aware of these characteristics and it is not necessary for me to mention them because they are among the clear and obvious things that all of us know. The kinds of supervision that are motivated by wrong intentions are inappropriate. The kinds of supervision that are partial and biased are inappropriate. The kinds of supervision that lack depth are inappropriate. Appropriate supervision has certain characteristics and it is necessary to specify these characteristics.

Effective presence in parliamentary sessions is a sign of being alive. Of course, I am discussing my expectations of the Majlis as a whole, but the Majlis is made up of individuals. If you fail to be present in parliamentary sessions, you might say that you are only one of the 290 MPs, but your presence will have its effects. You can play a role by voting and by influencing other MPs. Your absence makes it easier for other MPs to be absent from parliamentary sessions. Thus, those who feel obligated to be present will be discouraged. This is among the problems that the Majlis is faced with. You should really try to eliminate this problem in the ninth Majlis. Therefore, effective presence in parliamentary sessions is among the signs of being alive.

Political involvement in national and global issues. The Majlis represents the Revolution, public opinion in the country and our large-scale policies. When certain developments take place in the region and in the world, the Majlis should clearly express its position. Of course, the previous parliaments were active in this regard. Their performance was good. Today you see that the region is in chaos. What is reflected by news agencies is only a small portion of the developments that are happening in this region. This region is not an ordinary region in the world. This region is the heart of the world, an important region that connects three continents to one another. It is an important region in terms of oil reserves. It is an important region for colonialist policies of the west because the Zionist regime is present in this region. This region is an extraordinary region. The issues of this region concern the entire world. In terms of importance, the situation of this region is not like the situation of a number of countries in a corner of the world that have to deal with certain problems. No, this region is the heart of the world.

Certain developments are taking place in this region. What is our position on these important developments? The characteristic of being alive depends on your involvement in these developments and your comments. Your comments will play a role. Today the positions you adopt can play a role in each and every one of the regional countries. If we think in the right way, if we select the right words and speak at the right time, we will play a role in the movements that are taking place in the region, both the movements that are started by the evil and aggressive western apparatus and the movements that are started by the people, namely the righteous side. Therefore, being alive depends on these things. A Majlis that is alive passes the right laws at the right time, supervises the implementation of its laws and tries to play a role in national and regional issues.

It is necessary to pay attention to the parliamentary commissions. These commissions are important. They are like think tanks which prepare issues to be discussed in parliamentary sessions. They prepare issues for decision-making purposes, decisions about the destiny of the country, not just decisions that will expire at the end of the four-year term. Sometimes the Majlis passes a law that plays a role in the country for twenty years, a law that specifies a path.

Besides the characteristic of being alive, being healthy is also important. The Majlis should be both alive and healthy. Being healthy has different dimensions: political health, ethical health, financial health. These are issues that are related to each and every member of the Majlis. The Majlis will lose its health if certain tendencies develop in the Majlis, tendencies that are inconsistent with the principles of the Revolution. Of course, these tendencies will be small-scale, not large-scale and general. If the Majlis stops being concerned about its responsibilities, it will lose its health. If the Majlis becomes insensitive to financial corruption, it will lose its health. This is an important point. Putting the Majlis to needless expense will make the Majlis unhealthy. Yesterday I had a detailed discussion with Mr. Larijani in this regard. The Majlis should try to become a role model for other organizationsas far as reducing expenses is concerned: the money that members of the Majlis might spend on needless trips or their personal issues. Of course, an important part of this work is related to the honorable presiding board of the Majlis. They should be careful. The same is true of each and every member of the Majlis. Of course, I know for a fact that there are many MPs who are cautious in this regard. There are certain MPs who make one praise them. They make one happy. They make one thank God that such people are present in the Majlis. After all, this is an important issue.

A couple of years ago in a meeting with our honorable MPs, I raised a few points about self-supervision of the Majlis, which was subsequently approved in the form of a law. "And fear an affliction which may not smite those of you in particular who are unjust." [The Holy Quran, 8: 25] This ayah was recited at the beginning of this meeting and it contains a very important point. A person might spill gasoline in a building and then carelessly light a match. He might be the only person to blame for starting a fire, but he might not be the only person who gets burnt. A person who makes a hole in the bottom of a boat might not be the only person who drowns. The Holy Quran says that we should beware of such a fitna because once it strikes, it does not just afflict the person who started it. It does not just afflict oppressors. It afflicts innocent people as well. It afflicts those who had nothing to do with starting the fitna. So beware of such a fitna. Be cautious. What is the requirement for this? What is required is self-supervision. That is to say, we need to supervise each other. "And enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience." [The Holy Quran, 103: 3]We should constantly do this. These are among the signs of the health of Majlis.

Trying to avoid defaming different people in the Majlis is among the true signs of the health of the Majlis. You have been provided with the opportunity to address the people. You speak from a national podium and everybody hears what you say. Even if you strongly believe that somebody is guilty but his guilt has not been proven, it is not your responsibility to accuse that person or level allegations against him in the Majlis. For example, it is necessary to avoid discussing personal affairs of people. Why is it necessary to speak about such things in the Majlis? It is necessary to seriously avoid these things. And avoiding these things is a sign of the health of the Majlis.

I have told our honorable MPs in previous meetings and I would like to repeat that the Majlis is a place for wise and logical discussions. You present your reasons to support your argument and the next person comes and presents other reasons to refute your argument. And it is up to all members of the Majlis to decide who is right and who is wrong. Is it wise to boo somebody who is speaking and try to drown his voice? Is this rational? Sometimes when a minister or a government official is speaking in the Majlis, a number of MPs start to make noise in one corner in order to drown his voice: it is necessary to break this habit because it is very bad. Unfortunately this was the case with the eighth Majlis. I do not know whether such things used to happen in the seventh Majlis or not. I was astonished when I first saw this. I thought such a thing was impossible. But then I realized that it was possible and that it had happened. Such things have happened in the Majlis. But the Majlis is not a place for such things. Ordinary people might do such things when they gather in a place. One person might come forward and speak and another person might make noise while he is speaking. These things have happened throughout history. The Holy Quran says, "And they prohibit (others) from it and go far away from it." [The Holy Quran, 6: 26] Whenever the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) spoke, some people used to try to drown his voice by making noise. This is below the dignity of the Islamic Republic, especially when it happens in the Majlis. The Majlis is a place for reasoning. Let people finish what they want to say and then try to refute their arguments with logical reasons if you believe their arguments are illogical and baseless. And nothing is wrong with this.

I believe it is very important for the Majlis to be independent. I truly believe that an independent Majlis is a great blessing. Some people think that independence from the executive branch means that the Majlis should aggressively attack the executive branch. And there are other people who promote this idea in the media. This is wrong. I have stressed this point during the terms of all the previous governments. Being independent form the executive branch does not mean that members of the Majlis should aggressively attack the executive branch and whatever it does for different reasons. Sometimes there is no reason to protest. Sometimes there is no need to stop the executive branch by passing certain laws.

I believe unity is among the important things that we need today in the country. Unity does not mean there must be no differences of opinion. Thankfully, you are at a high level in terms of intelligence and knowledge and it is not necessary to tell you these things. But sometimes we need somebody to give us advice and highlight certain things so that we are encouraged to take action. Today it is necessary to have unity. Discord is the manifestation of a nation's weakness and decline. You must not let this happen. Definitely there are differences of opinion and nobody is afraid of acknowledging this. There might be differences of opinion regarding a certain issue, yet it is possible to join hands in a unified way. For example, one person might say that a certain thing should be done and another person might say that it is necessary to prevent the same thing from happening. Anyway, there is an authority that we can refer to. That authority might be the law, the judiciary, the Guardian Council or other organizations, and that authority will make a decision. The important point is that we should avoid fighting each other. It is necessary to be united. Different organizations should unite for the sake of our national interests and this unity should manifest itself. Of course, everybody agrees that this should be the case. One day a person was speaking angrily in defense of something. Another person approached him and said, "Why are you so angry?" The first person shouted in an angry voice, "I am not angry!" Some people constantly speak about the necessity of unity, but signs of discord can sometimes be witnessed in what they say. I ask you to pay attention to this point. Try to preserve this unity and solidarity among the MPs. Try to preserve the unity that exists between the Majlis and the other branches of government. You should know that this nation, this country and this government have been promised success and victory. Our success and victory have been guaranteed by God.

Our nation is a good and pious nation. Our youth are good youth. Fortunately our nation is still a young nation. Thankfully the general movement of the country is pivoted around Islamic thought and orientation. Our MPs and our executive and judiciary officials have faith in our Islamic and revolutionary principles. This is a very important point. Both our people and our government officials have faith in our Islamic and revolutionary principles. We are moving forward and hopefully Allah the Exalted will bestow success on us. By Allah's favor, in this decade - which is "The Decade of Progress and Justice" -we will achieve tangible progress. By Allah's favor, we will have achieved a remarkable level of justiceby the end of this decade.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings

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