Stoking unrest in Iran

http://www.khaleejtimes.com

Just when you think that Iran is out of the news, it jumps back into the fray. Be it the nuclear imbroglio or the domestic unrest, there is one thing in common: the government’s defiance. A week before the first anniversary of the June 12 disputed presidential elections, Teheran has warned the opposition’s rank and file to behave and desist from questioning the writ of the government.

In an unprecedented word of caution, and that too from the highest authority — the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei, the opposition has been told that ‘people would be judged by their current actions, not their past record’. This is quite meaningful. It is apparently meant to warn the leaders of the agitating Green Movement, many of whom are senior clerics and pioneers of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and former presidents and the prime ministers. This time around, perhaps the government wants to exhibit before hand its intention of taking to task whoever it may be, with little or no consideration to their services to the country and the revolution. This is despicable enough.

The warning came as the nation was observing the 21st death anniversary of founder of the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini. The national day, rather than furthering the sense of oneness, was unfortunately chosen by the government to sow the seeds of disenchantment. This has almost set the stage for a confrontation and eminent clash on the fateful day of June 12. The opposition, which has already announced to mark it as a black day, 
will be full of firebrand issues at hand to browbeat the government. One year down the line, neither has the opposition
withered away nor has the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad learnt to strike a conciliatory tone. This tug of war, of course, comes at a cost and that is reflected in the depreciating standard of living of the people of Iran. Soaring inflation and rampant unemployment in a country that is rich in natural resources and second biggest oil producer is a telling tale of wayward governance.

Political instability in the Islamic republic is on the rise, and it has badly impacted on the country’s image on the international horizons. Moreover, what surprises one to see is the fact that the discord between the government and the opposition is not restricted to issues of power politics, but has flown down and wide into the fundamentals of the revolution. Thirty years down the line, the ideals of the revolution are no more sacrosanct. The people are openly questioning its vitality, and argue that it is a case of blue blood dictatorship being replaced by an orthodox regime. We have been here. The point of difference in Iran is over the style of governance, and not about revolution or its fundamentals. Successive government’s seem to have failed in furthering the fruits of the revolution by opting to play to the gallery and brushing aside people’s concerns under the carpet. As of now, tolerance and compassion can help put the house in order…before it 
gets too late.