The Administration Must be Confronted

The verbal war among the Principlists – ideologues in power who split into supporters and opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year after the eruption of differences between the president and Iran’s leader ayatollah Khamenei – erupted again at new levels. Following the verbal exchanges between the Larijani brothers and Ahmadinejad against each, an influential Majlis representative Ali Motahari raised his own criticism of Ahmadinejad.

Speaking with a reporter from Fars news agency, Motahari said that Ahmadinejad’s administration was “negligent and submissive” on cultural issues and had to be confronted in this regard.

Speaking about Ahmadinejad, he said, Normally his looks for special people for his appointments: people who are foremost completely obedient and then not very well known without a clear record.”

At the same time, and following Majlis speaker Ali Larijani’s criticism, the public relations office of parliament provided an explanation of his remarks asserting that the main goal of the speaker’s remarks were to reduce hype and tension.

The news communiqué issued by the office wrote, “Unfortunately, some media reflected Ali Larijani’s remarks in a special manner and so it appeared as if he was complaining about the need to battle the sedition and deviation,” (sedition is the term Iranian officials use for the Green Movement protests that erupted after the 2009 presidential elections that reinstated Ahmadinejad). “An accurate look at the contents of the speaker’s message indicate that he has stressed the need to address people’s problems in view of the supreme leader’s calls for the need to reduce hype and political tensions, following last year’s and this year’s events. The speaker also reiterated his clear and categorical position regarding the two issues of the sedition and deviance. The media is therefore requested to reflect this news of the speech with care,” the statement read.

During the eight seminar on philosophy Larijani had said, “Look at the literature of recent years: Are they enlightening? Instead of identifying the problems of people, which are unemployment and inflation, they repeatedly raise other issues, i.e., sedition and deviation.” Larijani said they repeatedly talk of the seditionists and then asked, “How long do they intend to continue talking about this? What do you gain by this? How much do you care for people? Aren’t you after tribalism? Martyr Motahari (a cleric thinker in the early years of the Islamic revolution who staunchly supported it) was opposed to this kind of tribalism.”

The speaker’s brother, Sadegh Larijani also responded to Ahmadinejad’s criticism of the court proceedings regarding the government’s embezzlement case and said there were “hidden strands of corruption” in the country.

At the same time in pursuit of these verbal clashes, some Principlists and Kayhan newspaper (whose editor is directly appointed by ayatollah Khamenei) criticized the heads of all three branches of government.

Reza Akrami, a member of the conservative Jame Rohaniyat Mobarez organization (Combatant Clergy Association) said in this regard, “Differences among officials should under no circumstances be mentioned in the media because they only create tension in society.”

Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of Kayhan, also wrote that such open arguments created tension in society and provided fodder for the enemy. “They can also erroneously indicate as if the heads of the three branches of government are merely engaged in these kinds of arguments and not doing their jobs.” Kayhan has reported that the public is dissatisfied and concerned about the political battles of the heads of the three branches of government.

Source: Rooz Online