Khatami survey - comments
Expectations from the Khatami government

August 1997
The Iranian

The following are comments regarding expectations from President Khatami's government in response to a survey emailed to 3,782 individuals on THE IRANIAN TIMES mailing list on August 21, 1997. More than 95 percent of those on the mailing list live outside Iran. Cick here to see survey results.

YES to change

I believe this is a woderful opportunity for change in Iranian politics and it must be used by everyone who cares about Iran and the Iranian people in order to make this trend irreversible.

Remember what happened in the ex-Soviet Union? The moment the changes started, even Gorbachev himself could not slow it down. We all must help Mr. Khatami and his government and stregthen his position against the narrow-minded radicals and conservatives and at the same time demand more and more changes.

I strongly believe that no other alternative is feasible for Iran today and the changes must come from within the system, as they have started now. The Supreme Leader today is far from the founder of the Islamic Republic and lacks his charisma and popularity and therefore is much more fragile and weaker.

The great people of Iran who proved their awareness and alertness by voting NO to backward policies and YES to change, should and will continue to be present and demand the new government to deliver its promises.

Bring back glory

I have very high hopes for the new government and I dearly hope that the government will bring Iran out of the hole it's in and bring back the glory and power it once had.

Concentrate on inflation

As far as the internal politics go, I think that President Khatami should concentrate on the economic lives of Iranians, in particular the inflation. This would have to relate directly to the global economy.

In relation to the international policy, I believe he should continue to build and better Iran's close ties to Eastern European countries, Russia, the Far East, and the European countries. Also, if there comes an opportunity to improve relations with the US, he should react favorably but with caution.

It will take a long time for Iran to return to what it was & what it should be. The shattered reputation will take many years to rebuild not just fouryears.

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Good luck

I look forward to a bright and prosperous future for Iran and wish the new President luck with the hardliners. He'll need it...

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Evolving democracy

History has shown us again and again that the wisest strategy is often to exploit the best available alternative.

We Iranians need to understand that Democracy has seldom (almost never) been established overnight. It has EVOLVED, and often under terrible circumstances. The victory of Khatami, both in the elections and in the Majlis, is a very positive step toward democracy. We have a long way to go, but we are slowly getting closer.

Human rights issues and establishing a true market economy should be Khatami's top priority in the domestic scene. In the international arena, Khatami must cease the last 19 years of sacrificing Iranian interests for the interests of some non-existent "Islamic entity".

Relations with the Eastern Tigers should continue to strengthen, but the enmity with the U.S.- - which stands as an obstacle to real advancement on almost all fronts -- must be abolished. In that, we Iranians, living in the West can be to a great help. We must lobby on Western governments in order to advance our interests, just as American Jews are defending Israel, American-Armenians Armenia, American-Greeks Grecce, etc., etc.

Trita Parsi
Stockholm School of Economics
Stockholm, Sweden
m74tp80t@students.su.se

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Hold Islam

[Rate from ONE to FOUR. 1) Highest priority, 4) Not a priority]

Spread the message of Islam: Minus four

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How Islam can spread

Message of Islam will automatically be spread by economic development and a free society.

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Greater enemies

[On spreading the message of Islam:] The deeds of the country will spread the message rather than armed hostility... etc.

[On continuing hostile policy toward Israel:] Ignorance, poverty, tryanny are greater enemies.

[On stopping the religious persecution of Bahais:] Compassion, tolerance, understanding will be a beacon.

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Respect brings respect

In my opinion, President Khatami's top most priority should be improving Iran's image in the international arena. He may accomplish this by limiting all voices on foreign policy in Iran to one: That of the elected government of Iran. Additionally, he must publicly state Iran's respect for all international laws and all countries.

If I was his advisor, I would recommend that he take a trip to the U.N. in New York and publicly pledge the Iranian government's respect for all countries and all international laws. After all, only respect would bring respect. This would be the quickest way of accomplishing the above and he should do it NOW!

I would think other items on the survey list (and they are ALL important issues) will eventually resolve themselves given enough time and social growth in Iran.

kbehzad@ix.netcom.com

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Wishful thinking

I would add these items as well. I give them A priority (wishful thinking!?)

* Appoint moderate intellectuals in key positions of the executive branch
* Cut off hard-liners' network from the executive branch of the government
* Prevent the Parliament from passing undemocratic legislation
* Influence next parliamentary election in order to change the existing composition
* Empower the judicial branch of the government
* Prevent the Bazaar from influencing all three branches of the government
* Establish an outreach administration/policy for the governmentally owned media

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No Gorbachev

Iran is not Russia and Khatami is no Gorbachev. Mr. Khatami won't be able to step out of the line that conservative members of the government have drawn for him.

Moreover, he only believes in reforms that are in line with Islamic guidelines. We can not expect to see a drastic change in Iran's social and political policies.

However, if Khatami can fulfill two of his campaign promises which are to guarantee freedom of expression and to allow the formation of diverse political parties, he will be paving the road for a more liberal government in the future. Parliment members will be elected based on abilities, not religious belief and/or revolutionary background.

If the media and the people can freely discuss hot political issues such as criticizing "Shoraay'e Negahban" [Council of Guardians] for screening the political candidates or questioning the "Velaayat'e Faqih" [theological leadership] for moving against the majority's expectations, positive changes could be expected to follow.

If Khatami is successful in promoting freedom of speech, in a few years, supreme leader "Velaayat'e Faqih" position may be eliminated from the government hierarchy and separation of state from religion could be an appealing option.

Javad Rostami

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Not just despots, hopefully

I hope that this new government, as opposed to previous Iranian governments (this goes all the way back to the Shah), decides to show the world that Iranian leaders are not just despots or terrorists but that they can also be effective leaders without terrorizing their subjects or innocent people abroad.

It is also time for the Iranian people to realize (and I think that this past election showed that they are beginning to realize) that the "Great Satans" are not the U.S. or Israel, but rather leaders who muzzle the free press, ban political opposition and murder innocent people at home and abroad.

kashi@ibm.net

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Economic advice

Government can not make money any more by exporting oil in the black market. To increase [national] revenue, [the government] needs to 1) Give more freedom to merchants, 2) Stimulate the economy by education and free trade policies, and 3) Keeping the Rial stable in the market.

When the economy is stimulated and in good shape, then government can make revenue by altering tax- policy.

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Fulfill promises, or else

I believe Iranians have demonstrated to the entire world their amazing ability to recognize and capture any and all opportunities to announce and enforce their will for a better life.

I also believe that with their recent vote, Iranian youth have issued a serious ultimatum to the current establishment to face their responsibility and do what is morally correct. It will be disasterous and down right stupid for the leadership of the Islamic Republic to ignore the recent warning and continue business as usual.

Serious attempts have to be made to give women, minorities and the young population real freedom and a chance for a better future. Anything other than a complete fulfillment of Mr. Khatami's promises will inflamate a sense of distrust and betrayal that could potentially push the country into a downward spiral of anarchy and lawlessness.

A better Iran, now and into the 21st century.

A concerned Iranian

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Consulting the nation

Most important to me:

* Give real strength and independance to the judiciary
* Consult the nation more often by organizing referrendums for all important questions.

These are guaranties that for moving toward what the majority REALLY wishes.

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Saving the environment

You have missed a very important subject:

(1) Improve efforts to protect the environment and to reduce air, water, earth pollution.

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Establish rule of law

Khatami's government should assign priorities to the following:

1- Establishing the rule law which is not subject to interpretation and prevailing desire of "power centers" or those who administer the law
2- Stop state intervention in people's personal lives and individual freedoms
3- Allow formation of diverse political parties
4- Return properties unjustly confiscated after 1979.

All the above are important issues which can be addressed simultaneously

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Be realistic

There is so much that every one of us expect from Khatami and his administration. We all should be more realistic -- how much he really can and wants to do.

We all better to focus on the main issues and problems that can make a difference: Individual freedom and rule of law, Freedom of th epress, establishing a normal relations with other countries, and last but least, economic development which is damaging and destroying daily life of our people inside the Iran.

I am sure other matters like normal relations with the U.S. and woman's clothes can be solves in the process.

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Fascinating mass psychology

Iranians have always fascinated me with their different mass psychology. They become so interested and then so disinterested in certain issues so fast. I believe they become interested in politics, whenever they think they can make a difference.

This is not the first time, this has happened before too. The revolution of 1979 was another example of their attitude. I

believe, any leader who can make people interested, has the potential to change a lot of things. So far this has been the case with President Khatami. I think he is aware of the strong power he has access to, and I hope he uses it the right way.

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Stop persecutions, revolutions...

1. Khatami should stop the religious persecution of all religions and doctrines
2. Stop exporting [revolution].
3. Start good relations with neighbors and Arab countries.

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No improvements

In general I do not believe this government will be able to improve any aspect of life in Iran as it still has to operate within the existing framework of long-established relegious dictatorship.

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Odds are against

So far President Khatami seems to be moving the country in the right direction. However, as witnessed in our history with Amir Kabir and Mossadeq, powerful forces from the outside continue to dominate the political scene.

I hope that Iran will continue in its path toward democratization under the leadership of Khatami, but history tells us that the odds are against him. Countries which failed to become self sufficient by World War II (a.k.a. the Third World) have a very tough road ahead of them.

Shahram Mostarshed

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Pessimistic, but who knows

With all due respect to the 20+ million Iranians voted for Katami, I firmly believe that he will not be able to deliver anything. Not that he does not want to, but becauase he will not be allowed to.

My reasoning for this opinion is the basic foundation upon which the Islamic Republic of Iran is built.

1- The Islamic law does not consider women equal to men, their inheritence share is half of their brothers, the value of their testimony in a court of law is half of men, their husbands can go and marry three other women, and so on.

If Khatami wants to give women the same freedoms as men, he will be in big trouble with the fundamentalists who actually run the Islamic Republic.

2- The Constitution of the Islamic Republic puts ultimate power in the hands of Khamenei. This means that neither the president nor the Majlis can do anything if Khamenei is against it. If Khatami wants to do any reform he should try to change the Constitution, and he is not going to do that nor will he be allowed to do that.

3- The clerics who have been ruling Iran in the past twenty years have everything to lose if they allow freedom to the people. So they will do everything in their power to prevent Khatami to deliver on his promises.

There are a lot of other reasons for my pessimistic forecast of Khatami's ability to deliver: Internattional hostility toward Iran; the flight of hundres of thousands of proffesional Iranians; depletion of Iran's foreign exchange reserves; and so on, and so on.

But who knows, maybe there will be a miracle, let us hope that he will succeed.

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Hope, despite the odds

I have a lot of hope for the new governmemnt. Despite all the odds against Khatami, he must always reflect on the 20 million people who put him in his office. I wish him success.

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Their concerns, not ours

The highest, above all, of priorities in Khatami's list is to defend Iran's "independence"; nothing less than that. We might not remember, but the Iranian people paid a very heavy price to cut off OTHER COUNTRIES from intervening in Iran's political and social affairs. All existing internal and external problems concerned about Iran, Iranians can now be proud to have their motherland one of the few INDEPENDENT countries in the world. This is the ultimate dream of every single human being on this globe.

Some of the "Irrelevant"s I mentioned [on the list of priorities such as "Returning properties unjustly confiscated after the 1979 revolution", "Reducing restrictions for women seeking divorce", "Strengthening ties with Russia", "Distancing the government from the fatwa against Salman Rushdie", and "Stopping state-approved killing of political opponents"] are not "Iranian" concerns; they are OTHER COUNTRIES' concerns. Let them be worried about it. This is another fruit from Iran's independence and surprisingly, we are respected for that even by the OTHER COUNTRIES.

Please read about "ghavanin-e madani" (Civil Laws) regarding "talagh" (divorce) in Iran; I am firmly confident that you will delete the item concerned with women's divorce limitations. Note that limiting men is not a good solution either, like what is happening now in OTHER COUNTRIES; ask some of the divorced men in OTHER COUNTRIES where you currently live and you will get your answers.

I think I know what you mean by "properties unjustly confiscated". "Priorities" is an important factor in any scheduling system. You probably forgot about your homeland for a moment, specifically you Jahanshah [Javid] , I am talking about Abadan. Iran was at war for almost eight consecutive years. I have no doubts that you have heard about the Persian proposition "cheraghi keh beh khaneh ravast, be masjed haram ast"?

I would like to propose to you to replace this item with "Completion of the reconstruction process of the war torn areas". This will make nine million of our hamvatan's (compatriots) capable of getting their normal lives back in Iran while the others with the so-called "properties unjustly confiscated" are still enjoying the rest of the UNJUST PROPERTY driving their BMWs and Mecedes Benzs in Los Angeles and showing off their recently-colored-blond hair and flashy nails to the homeless on Westwood Avenue.

Ba arezooye sarbolandi-e iran-e aziz, va Beh omid-e behboodi va behroozi-e mellateh Iran,

Pirooz Fakhimi

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Read Isabel Allende

After AD 1600, when the Safavid dynasty cme to power, the power of the clerics in Iran has been raising incessantly. Their rising power was a symptom of Iran's cultural, political and econmic decay. Currently, we are on the climax point of this development.

Therefore, Presient Khatami will not be able to develop Iran further in any way. Surely, he will be able to perform some little insignificant reforms here and there. But fundamental, strong far reaching measure will not take place in Iran.

If, hopefully, the Iranian people digest the bitter experineces they had with the Islamic revolution properly and learn form them the way the Japanes learned from their WWII experinece, the country and the people will have a serious chance of making progresses. As far as this is concerned, I am rather optimistic.

The influence of a people's culture on their progress can be seen in the Americas. All these peoples had to start from scracth. But the U.S. and Canada got a lot further than the Latin American countries. This topic is excellently treated in Isabel Allende's Novel, "The House of the Spirits".

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Limits of authority

Some of these actions [on list of potential priorities] although good, are not within the limits of his authority. Like freeing prisoners, punishing pressure groups, etc.

This is the duty of judiciary system. Please don't ask him what he can't deliver!

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Utmost importance: rights

In my opinion the highest priority should be given to restoration of the economy and various types of freedoms. The rights of individuals to determine their own fate is of utmost importance and should be protected by law, without which freedoms in other areas will render themeselves to be meaningless.

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