The Reform Movement Must Clarify Its Position with Public Opinion

Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, the spokesperson of the government during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, emphasized in an interview with the newspaper Etemad that "the general problem in the country is the accumulation of protests. Small issues that existed in the past and were not addressed at the time have now piled up and manifested as protests in society. The government also does not manage these issues in a unified manner." This reformist figure pointed out that "on the one hand, the opposing faction uses every opportunity to weaken the government," stating, "These reasons cause us to witness this chaotic situation in terms of governance. In my opinion, the problems are not very complex, but rather the inability to coordinate government members magnifies the issues. The insistence of some government members on depoliticizing the cabinet has led to today's problems. Non-political governors cannot control regions, and there is no one in the government to coordinate these governors, thus problems emerge widely." In analyzing the nationwide protests of January, Ramazanzadeh said: "The protesters accepted neither the reformists nor the conservatives. This indicates that the expectations of some people from the reformists have surpassed what they offer, and at least the protests and criticisms that reformists have raised over the years are no longer acceptable, and people are looking for a larger critical agenda" and "the level of trust in political elites in society has decreased, which is the result of a lack of public trust in society." The newspaper Etemad quoted Abdollah Ramazanzadeh as saying: "My suggestion to the reformists is to clearly state their positions regarding the government's performance and show where they diverge from the government and where they align with it" and "We must clarify our stance on the government's position and actions. The reform movement must explicitly state its positions and show what issues it criticizes. We have supported the government so far, but from today we must clearly show in which areas we accept the government and in which areas we do not accept its performance; this way, the reform movement will clarify its position with public opinion and its supporters." The newspaper Shargh reported with the headline "Reactions to the Challenge of Removing the Hijab" about the latest protests of the "Girls of Revolution Street" against compulsory hijab, stating: "Two images; the first is of a welder installing a triangular-shaped structure resembling a roof on a telecommunications box to prevent people from standing on these boxes, and the second is a video in which one of these girls, named Maryam Shari'atmadari, is thrown off a telecommunications box and apparently injures her knee." According to this newspaper, "The release of the video of the confrontation with Maryam Shari'atmadari and her being thrown from the box has posed a more serious challenge to the way of dealing with the wave of Revolution girls," and in videos of this confrontation, "although the police initially try to persuade Maryam to come down from the box, when faced with her repeated questions about what her crime is, suddenly one of the officers climbs a tree and pushes Maryam down." Shargh noted the threats to the people who witnessed and protested against the violence of the officers against Maryam Shari'atmadari, stating that the police officer "discourages the public from potential reactions with inappropriate language." This newspaper pointed out that "before Maryam Shari'atmadari, another girl from this wave, Shaparak Shajari-zadeh, had also removed her hijab on a stick in northern Tehran that same Friday, and the police arrested her as well." Shargh reported that Maryam Shari'atmadari has been transferred to Evin Prison, and "Mitra Jamshid-zadeh, Maryam's mother, visited the Vezara police station on Friday to protest her daughter's arrest. She demanded her daughter's release at the police station and protested the existing process, which also led to her temporary arrest. Ultimately, the officers released Maryam's mother, but apparently, she remained at the police station in protest." This newspaper emphasized that it is still "unclear where Maryam Shari'atmadari is currently imprisoned," but according to her friends, during the incident where she was thrown by the police officer, "her knee was injured, and after her arrest and stitching, she was transferred back to prison without receiving antibiotics." According to Shargh, Shaparak Shajari-zadeh, another girl who was arrested on Friday, March 3, has been represented by lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who told this newspaper: "Shaparak Shajari-zadeh was apparently first transferred to Vezara and then sent to Qarchak Prison." Nasrin Sotoudeh, who also represents Narges Hosseini, the second girl from Revolution Street, stated about the accusations Narges faces in court on Saturday (March 5): "Narges Hosseini is being tried today in the Judiciary Court of Guidance on three charges, including appearing without proper hijab in public, promoting a forbidden act, and inciting corruption, while "my client was not without proper hijab. She was wearing winter clothing, and her body was covered. If my client is acquitted of this charge, she will also be exonerated from the subsequent charge of promoting a forbidden act." The newspaper Asemanabi, while examining "the deadly impact of influenza on the poultry industry," quoted Farzad Talaksh, the Secretary-General of the National Association of Egg Producers of Iran, stating: "The provinces affected since the beginning of October until now are about 17 provinces, but the main provinces that are major egg producers, including East Azerbaijan, Qazvin, Alborz, Tehran, and Qom, have almost all of their units affected. The provinces that are at risk are Isfahan and Yazd, and we are concerned that a storm of this disease may occur in these provinces as well." Reza Torkashvand, the head of the Egg Producers Union, also wrote in a note in this newspaper: "Since November of last year, due to the arrival of some migratory birds into the country, a virus entered the poultry industry, especially egg-laying hens. This virus has killed 36 million birds in less than two years. Since the beginning of this year, about 26 million hens have died due to the influenza virus, and if we add the number of birds that were culled last year, we arrive at the figure of 36 million." The columnist of the newspaper Asemanabi emphasized that "the current avian influenza situation has caused significant damage to the poultry industry, especially egg-laying hens, and our colleagues have suffered considerable losses; it can be said that approximately 600 billion tomans in damages have been inflicted on our colleagues. This incident occurs at a time when avian influenza primarily entered with the arrival of migratory birds into the country, and we did not have a clear strategy to confront and deal with this problem in the short term; thus, since we could not control the migratory birds in a timely manner and eliminate the related issues, this disease spread to our native and industrial chickens and has engaged the poultry industry for two years." According to Reza Torkashvand, "about 220,000 tons of eggs have been lost, and about 500 poultry units are facing this problem." The newspaper Ebtekar reported in its Sunday issue, quoting Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the head of the Planning and Budget Organization and government spokesperson, that the number of unemployed people in Iran has reached 3 million and 200 thousand. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht stated that "we intend to create over 1 million and 333 thousand job opportunities in 2018, which will respond to the expectations of our youth. Our prediction is that 838 thousand people will enter the job market in 2018. Of this number, more than 70 percent are university graduates." The newspaper Etemad also quoted the latest report from the Statistical Center of Iran, stating: "The unemployment rate for women is 19.2 percent and for youth is 28.4 percent." According to this newspaper, "the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 in urban areas has been calculated at 32.4 percent, which means that out of 3 million and 141 thousand unemployed, more than 813 thousand of them are young people in this age group." The newspaper Etemad pointed out that "a significant portion of higher education graduates in the country are women," but "despite this, their share in the job market is minimal. The unemployment rate of around 20 percent alongside a participation rate of 15.9 percent indicates that the Iranian job market continues to fail to attract women." This newspaper reminded that "on the other hand, discriminatory views in the job market can also be pointed out. Many employers prefer to hire men as employees and workers, and for this reason, women still lack sufficient opportunities to assert themselves in the job market." The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami, in its Sunday editorial titled "What Is Happening Beneath the Surface of the City?", warned that "the officials of the Islamic Republic should show greater sensitivity to what is happening beneath the surface of society. It seems that special conditions are being imposed on society, so that if not addressed in a timely manner, irreparable problems will arise." This newspaper emphasized that "if officials rely on routine reports that always portray the situation as normal, or consider the submissions of a few who have access to the higher-ups as a sign of public satisfaction, or interpret the relative calm of society as an indication of a lack of issues, they are certainly making a mistake. This is a strategic error that can be the source of serious threats. The editorial writer of the newspaper Jomhouri Eslami wrote: "The fact that in the second week of January, protests suddenly erupt in dozens of small and large cities should not be considered a trivial matter. How much real information do we have about the roots of these protests? Why did the country's security officials not have predictions about these protests? Why has clear and precise information about this issue not yet been provided to the people? Shouldn't these be seen as a sign of negligence regarding what is happening beneath the surface of society?" This newspaper also discussed the clashes between officers and dervishes, asking: "What was the origin of the incident in the Pasdaran neighborhood of Tehran?" and "Why is there no clear information provided to the public about the reasons for this incident? Is this due to a weakness in information dissemination or is there something else? What should people who do not find answers to these questions do when faced with similar situations that are likely to arise in the current conditions?" The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami further addressed issues such as the status of "the victims of credit institutions," implicitly referring to the recent statements of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his associates, asking: "Are they merely speaking out of their political whims, or do they know something and see the conditions of society as favorable for raising such demands? Do they know things that others do not? If they are correct, why are their demands not being met? And if they are incorrect, why are they not being confronted? People ask how a government that has not tolerated even a fraction of these statements can tolerate those who have crossed red lines? If there is a strategic reason for this tolerance, why is it not communicated to the public to alleviate all these questions and ambiguities?" This newspaper concluded by emphasizing that "the common thread of these events is what is happening beneath the surface of society, and in January, a glimpse of it surfaced." It stated: "This is a chronic ailment that cannot be treated with speeches, advice, or even reprimands. Laws have been established to treat these ailments" and "we are still in a position where if we return to the law, there is a possibility of solving the problem for us. However, if we do not seek a solution today, it will certainly be too late tomorrow."