Ali Khamenei's New Definition of 'The People'

Review of newspapers on Saturday, February 10, 2018: The Kayhan newspaper, in its front page, quoted the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic saying, "If we could help Yemen, we would give them a hundred missiles instead of one." The newspaper also published Ali Khamenei's new definition of 'the people', quoting him as saying: "Who are the people? The people are those who create the epic of February 11 every year, the people are those who, after the entry of rioters into the scene, even if they had protests, withdrew and came to the field on December 30. These are the people. Do not mistake them." Ali Khamenei also stated that "enemies" use "diverse and extensive methods" and said, "They use fake intellectuals, fake theorists, journalists, and hired pens, clowns, and all the means of cyberspace to influence the people." Two years ago, Khamenei even named those who "accept the system" as part of the people of Iran and said on December 19, 2015: "Everyone should participate in the elections; even those who do not accept the system," but on December 30, he said: "I said those who do not accept the system should vote, not that they should enter the parliament." The Jahan San'at newspaper reported on the "suspension of the special committee's activities" investigating the nationwide protests in the 10th parliament and wrote: "Despite reports of the special committee members visiting prisons across the country, the spokesman for the Judiciary Commission announced the suspension of the committee's activities due to the lack of coordination among its members and said that due to disagreements among some members and the emergence of disputes in the management of the special committee's activities, the legal commission has been suspended." This newspaper emphasized that "unconventional interrogations and severe torture and mistreatment of prisoners are among the complaints written by prisoners from various prisons in Iran to officials and senior authorities of the country." Jahan San'at wrote: "Recently, with the widespread arrests following the recent protests and the increase in prisoners and their detention in various prisons, these protests and letters have taken on larger and more serious dimensions. The publication of criticisms regarding the mistreatment of prisoners in detention centers and prisons has reached a level that members of parliament visited Evin prison to investigate the situation of those arrested in the December protests, but due to disagreements among them about expressing opinions on how Sina Ghanbari, one of the protesters, was killed in Evin prison, it has now been announced that the 'special committee's activities' have been suspended." The Shargh newspaper, in its front page titled "Expediency Council or Senate," reported that Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the new head of the Expediency Discernment Council, said on a television program on Wednesday night: "It has been suggested for some time that in the constitutional revision of our country, similar to some bicameral countries, it should be governed by two parliaments; it can be said that the Expediency Discernment Council currently performs a significant part of the Senate's duties in bicameral systems." This newspaper raised the question of "Does the Expediency Discernment Council, as the new head has interpreted, actually take on all or part of the Senate's duties in bicameral systems?" It wrote: "Today, in countries where their constitutions foresee more than one legislative body, one of them is usually the Senate, which generally has a conservative aspect. A member of the Senate is called a senator, who is usually elderly. In fact, the Senate is the second chamber of parliament in some political systems; that is, in some political systems, instead of emphasizing a unicameral parliament, we see that two legislative bodies exist simultaneously. These two bodies are collectively considered the parliament of that system." The Shargh newspaper then reviewed the history of the Senate in the constitutional law and its delay in formation until 1948, reminding that "the number of representatives in the Senate was 60, of which 30 were elected by the people (15 from Tehran and 15 from the provinces) and the other half were appointed by the Shah (15 from Tehran and 15 from the provinces), with the first group being known as elected senators and the second group as appointed senators." This newspaper emphasized that "the Senate or the second chamber in other systems is truly a legislative body," stating that "the Expediency Discernment Council does not have such authority, and even determining the general policies of the system is not within the authority of the Expediency Discernment Council. According to Clause 1 of Article 110 of the Constitution, determining the general policies of the system is the authority of the leadership, but the leadership actually issues these policies after receiving consultative opinions." Mohammad Taqi Fazel Meybodi, in the editorial of the Iran newspaper, wrote that the goal of the 1979 revolution was to change the "authoritarian system where all decisions were made by one person, and the slogan of the government was that 'the command of Yazdan is like the command of the Shah', and if anyone wanted to think differently, they were suppressed." The editorial writer of the government-aligned newspaper emphasized that the 1979 revolution was "a revolution that the people should see in practice that the Islamic Republic system is better than the monarchy in various aspects. This revolution was not merely about changing religious appearances or changing women's clothing in society; it was a revolution whose fundamental demand was comprehensive and balanced development, increased public welfare, a healthy economy, and social justice. Now, if we have gotten closer to achieving these demands each year, February 11 is a day that will be added to its blessedness. If this has not been the case, we must think about how we can return the path to achieving these demands." The Etemad newspaper, while publishing a letter from Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha to Ahmad Jannati, wrote: "The December protests have made listening to the voice of the people the refrain of all officials, authorities, and politicians. Political factions do not affect the emphasis on this necessity, but the problem is that most speakers separate their accounts from other officials and recommend others to listen to the voice of the people. It seems that all protests are directed at the government, and now it must listen to the voice of the people and be accountable, and this is the point that Mousavi Khoeiniha criticized in his letter to Ahmad Jannati." In part of this letter, Mousavi Khoeiniha addressed Ahmad Jannati, saying: "With all the manners and self-made titles that are expressed in the presence of high-ranking officials, I ask the esteemed Secretary of the Guardian Council whether you and other esteemed members of the Guardian Council have heard the voice of the people's protests regarding the duties you have, especially regarding the approval or disqualification of individuals for candidacy in the Assembly of Experts, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the presidency? This question is not only about disqualifications but also about special approvals." Mousavi Khoeiniha wrote in another part of this letter: "His (Ahmad Jannati's) statements in the past, which have been broadcast on television, show that officials like him are not influenced by the voices of protests, and of course, he considers the voices of protests against his performance as 'pressure' and the pressure on others as the voice of the people." The Shahre Vahdat newspaper, in its editorial titled "Expectations from a 40-Year-Old Entity," wrote: "The first and most important problem seen among the people is economic disorders such as inflation and unemployment, but the root of this economic disorder lies in the political gap and problem that has occurred in society, which depicts our people as a fragmented and separate nation instead of a united one. A people who seem to have no common understanding of their national interests and how to achieve them. A society that has lost hope and dreams. A society where apparently no one wants to show responsibility. Everyone is somehow protesting, and it is unclear who should take the initiative to fix things." This newspaper emphasized that "the problems of the people are not limited to economic issues," stating: "Corruption and injustice are also another issue that, with its widespread nature, cannot even expect economic improvement. Alongside these, other issues have arisen that are important. A new generation has emerged that has no emotional or even cognitive connection to the historical past and revolution and pursues its own specific demands and values." The Shahre Vahdat newspaper concluded by recommending that "the forces that were involved in the revolution should gather once and for all and see where the problem lies and how we can overcome these problems. This is the least expectation that can be had from a 40-year-old entity." This newspaper emphasized that "turning 40 is the peak of rationality," asking, "Will the Iranian revolution also showcase this peak?" Kayhan, while publishing part of the speech of Hossein Shariatmadari last Friday at the Jam'e Mosque of Damavand, quoted him as saying: "The existing problems have known solutions; for example, the unemployment problem can be easily solved. Why should 105 trillion tomans of public funds be in the hands of a few dozen people as bank debts? Or why should smuggling cause business stagnation, or the excessive import of goods that can be produced domestically lead to factory closures and impose unemployment? Just in one instance, 600 Benz and Porsche cars have been imported with a commercial card in the name of a poor rural woman." The representative of the Supreme Leader in Kayhan stated that "the enemy insists that the nation be unaware of the prominent and unparalleled position it has gained in the revolution and that the flag of the masses of tens of millions of supporters of the revolution is not raised, so that on the one hand, a generation that is on the way gets misled and considers Islamic and revolutionary teachings to be diminished, and on the other hand, revolutionary forces are regarded as a minority and become despondent about the future." The Javan newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on the eve of the February 11 rally, quoting Ali Shamkhani as saying: "The Ministry of Intelligence should confront the currents that induce insecurity and inefficiency." According to this newspaper, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, during a meeting and speech with the managers of the Ministry of Intelligence, said: "The Ministry of Intelligence must identify the behind-the-scenes of the turmoil-inducing currents that seek to instill insecurity, a sense of inefficiency, and obscure the achievements and distort the image and future of the country and confront their factors and grounds."