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1% vs 99%
19-Feb-2012
The conflict escalation between Western governments and the Islamic republic of Iran(IRI) is unprecedented. People in the West rightly want to do something about it. In order to take the right position, a short analysis of the situation is necessary. Let’s first look at the track record of the two reactionary camps involved in this conflict.
"At one pole, there stands the most enormous machinery of state terrorism and international intimidation and blackmail. This camp includes the American government and ruling elite, the only force, which has used nuclear bombs against people, reducing hundreds of thousands of innocent and unsuspecting people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki into ashes within seconds. A state that slaughtered millions in Vietnam and razed and ruined their country for many years by chemical bombardments. It includes NATO and coalitions of Western governments who from Iraq to Yugoslavia, have destroyed people’s homes, schools and hospitals and have taken ransom the bread and medicine of millions of children. It includes the Israeli bourgeoisie and state. They occupy, seize, slaughter and deprive. They bomb and shell refugee camps and shoot scared ten-year-old children taking shelter in their fathers’ arms and at school gates. From Hiroshima and Vietnam to Grenada and Iraq, from the killing fields in Indonesia and Chile to the slaughterhouses of Palestine, the track record of this international pole of state terrorism and imperialist intimidation is obvious and irrefutable for all the world to see."(**)
At the opposing pole, there stands Islamic Republic of Iran, the stronghold of Islamic terrorism and the reactionary and vile political Islam. This force that was once created and nurtured by the US and the West themselves during the Cold War as a means of organising indigenous reaction against the Left in Iran, have now become an active pole of international terrorism and one contender in the bourgeois power struggle in the Middle East. The Islamic Republic of Iran's resume includes a wide range of barbarity, from state and state sponsored killings in Iran to a war waged against the whole population of Iran for 33 years, from the creation of a miserable life through extreme poverty and exploitation to the gender-apartheid, child abusive, racist, and homophobic, ... policies, from the bloody suppression of political and intellectual opponents to imposing reactionary and anti-human Islamic laws on people, particularly women, from Islamic mutilations and stoning, to daily executions. These are the highlights in the track record of these reactionaries.
The recent threats of war, which has caused a growing concern among the people of Iran, the region and the world, are occurring in the context of the Israeli government’s backlash in domestic and regional policies, the political tendencies of some factions within the American and British administrations, and the circumstances and developments created by revolutions in the Middle East. So far, the war threats and propaganda have benefited the most reactionary forces in Israel, the west, the Middle East, and Iran. One of the consequences has been the activation of religious-nationalist forces, guardians of the “Islamic system” in the opposition of the Islamic regime and the escalation of a nationalist defence of the regime from the right-wing opposition. Thus, we not only unequivocally condemn any military provocation and action from both reactionary poles of this confrontation, but also firmly stand against any direct or indirect defence of the Islamic regime or subduing the struggle for overthrowing of the regime on the pretext of war threats and war. Let's have a careful attention to the claimed disputes.
The Nuclear program
In March of 2010, Zbigniew Brzezinski, an adviser to Obama’s administration, said “We Can “Live With” a Nuclear Iran”. It indicates that the US does not have a fundamental issue with a nuclear Iran. While there are strong indications that the IRI IS making an atomic bomb, the people in Iran not only never approved any nuclear program, be it for energy or bomb, but the workers explicitly expressed their opposition to any nuclear program. The US administration is certainly no judge on this matter, a) it is the only government that has ever used atomic bomb b) the US governments have been subject of anti-nuclear movement for decades.
If the US "Three Mile Accident" (1979), the Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima (2011) disasters were not enough, the current radioactive tritium leaks at 48 nuke sites in the US is yet another proof that Nuclear energy is harmful. A fundamental stand on this regard is to be against the production, storage, and use of any kind of nuclear weapons, and energy by any state, including Iran. We need to be against all nuclear programs everywhere, period!
Who benefits from a war?
Rephrasing Eugene Debs, in all history of the world, we, the 99% have never declared a war against another country. Wars have always been declared by the statesmen for the benefit of the 1% in the involved countries. That's why no government would ever hold a referendum on whether wage a war or not against another country. Of course people would reject it. People know that they will be sacrificed for the benefits of the 1%, disguised under the benefit of "nation" and "country".
As claimed, bombing Iran is supposedly not a full-scaled assault with the intention of toppling the IRI as opposed to Iraq and Afghanistan cases. It is supposedly to be of the same scale that Israel committed against Syria in 2007 and against Iraq in 1981. However, neither the IRI is the same regime as that of Saddam Hussein or Bashar al-Assad nor in either of Iraq or Syria a revolution against a regime was present at the time of bombings. The US/Israel claim that bombing is to stop the IRI from having access to nuclear weapon. As the unprecedented propaganda indicates, the bombing will inevitably turn into a large scale of war. The first question therefore is who benefits from it?
It is obvious that any military action by the Israeli government against the Islamic Republic will benefit the most reactionary currents in Israel and the West, on the one hand, and the political Islam forces such as Hamas, Hizbollah, the Syrian government, and the IRI on the other. It would prolong the life time of all these declining currents. Undoubtedly, the loser of such an action would only be the people – whether in Israel, Palestine, Syria or in Iran. In addition to the tragic human costs and destruction of the environment, a military action or war will militarise the political climate, which in turn will harm the people’s struggle for overthrowing the Islamic regime in Iran, the regime of Bashar al-Asad in Syria, and the people’s movement for social Justice in Israel.
The consequences of bombing Iran
It will A) cause a humanitarian catastrophe which in turn will minimize the focus of anti-IRI movement in Iran B) it gives the IRI a golden opportunity to blame a foreign enemy as the main threat to Iran and hence C) it will let the IRI to crack down the opposition in a scale we haven’t seen since 80s D) It will unite the regime, even if temporarily E) it will split the grassroots opposition to the IRI by the poison of nationalism F) The IRI will play the “victim” role in the eye of international pro-Palestinian/general human right forces. G) Finally and most ironically, IRI will definitely speed up its attempt for developing nuclear weapon even more aggressively.
In short, bombing Iran will strengthen the IRI to the point that nothing can stop it from deploying nuclear weapon to its arsenal. The only ‘elimination’ that bombing Iran might cause is the elimination of IRI’s immediate enemy, that is, the defeat of a revolution against the IRI.
The real purpose of war propaganda
With the decline of the power of political Islam, whose backbone is the Islamic regime, in the wake of the revolution of 2009 in Iran as well as the recent revolutions in the Middle East, the West is now attempting to impose to the Islamic regime a new balance of power. Sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran and oil purchase from the country, cutting off its access to the global market and the official economy along with diplomatic pressures, war of words, and war threats are meant to bring the Islamic regime to its knees and take it to the negotiation table from a weak position. The Islamic regime is resisting very hard against this policy of the West and considers that giving up its anti-western slogans and policies is tantamount to losing its regional position and is a crushing blow to its political-ideological coherence and to its ability to repress in its confrontation with the people in Iran.
Also, the mere stand off between the West/Israel and Iran is beneficial for both sides of the conflict. Holding the issue of bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities in Qom, Natanz, Isfahan, Arak, and Bushehr “on the table”, as a possible move by Israel, and yelling it out loud everyday allows the Islamic regime to use it as an excuse for harsh handling of its opposition. Both Israel and the IRI are depended of having an external enemy in order to keep the “war alert” button on to continue with their oppressions. Without the mentality of being threatened by foreign hostility they have to face a great deal of vital opposition!
Economic Sanction
Well-known to most of us through the admission of Madeleine Albright interview with CBS's 60 minutes in 1996, hundreds of thousands of children were slaughtered during the economic sanctions of Iraq, between the Gulf War I to the Golf War II. The recent sanctions have intensified economic impasses of the Islamic regime to the degree of collapse of the whole economic system. It is obvious that the vast masses of workers and people are the main victims of this situation who are contending with skyrocketing inflation, severe decrease of purchasing power, dramatic fall of standard of living, non payment of their low wages, massive unemployment and social consequences of this situation such as drug abuse and prostitution. The conflict between Western governments and the Islamic regime and the sanctions that have endangered the social life in Iran are a reactionary act of inhumanity. The economic sanction must stop, period.
What do the people of Iran want?
This situation has intensified the dead ends of and the conflicts within the Islamic regime in such a way that a fear of people’s rise and a repetition of the recent revolutions in the region against the regime is daily expressed by its head. On the other hand, the people of Iran, who drove the Islamic regime to the verge of downfall by their revolution in 2009 and who follow with enthusiasm the revolutions of the people of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria as well as the movement of Occupy, are not going to be just passive onlookers and victims of this scene. How we can play a role depends on how we approach the matter. There are various views on this conflict which in the end approach the political developments in Iran in two distinctive ways and hence two distinctive stands.
The pro 1%
In this approach events are looked at from the perspective of the power struggle of the states; ie which state(s) benefits from what action. In this approach the questions raised are: Why/What do the IRI, the US, the Israeli the Russian, and the Chinese governments do and seek? This approach leads to either siding with the IRI or the US bloc or some form of pacifism.
In addition to the Cuban, Venezuelan, and Syrian governments and possibly N. Korean (not to miss the mafian government of Russia and the state of sweatshops, China) the supporters of the IRI include the pro-IRI opposition, also known as greens or 2-Khordad; a portion of the "anti-imperialist" movement (more accurately anti-US movement) in the West and the Islamic forces. That includes the IRI engineered CASMII, some members of A.N.S.W.E.R coalition including the Code Pink and the World Socialist Party of the US, the Socialist Worker Party of UK, George Galloway, UK/US branches of the anti-war coalition ... most of whom participated in a conference in Tehran last year led by Ahmadinejad office, met Ahmadinejad in New York in 2008, and wrote praising letters to him. This front appears to have no problem with the war waged on the whole population of Iran by the IRI for the past 33 years. It is only concerned about which state will be the “winner” of the power struggle. This trend favours the IRI and doesn’t seek the abolishment of the nukes and/or any nuclear program everywhere; it appears to be solely concerned about the monopoly of the nukes!! This stand did not even once condemn the terror act of the IRI against thousands upon thousands of the IRI opposition including workers’ leaders, intellectuals, political oppositions…YET it is concerned about which state assassinates which figure of the other side. This approach is conditionally against terrorism: Terrorism is only bad if it occurs against the IRI figures.
Apart from the Western states which is led by the US, British, and French governments, the US bloc supporters include the ultra right opposition of the IRI and the ultra right currents in the West. This trend cares nothing about the people, it favours economic sanctions no matter if it substantially adds to the misery of millions. It favours war, it justifies the massacres that will occur as a result of the war under the pretext of its opposition to the IRI.
Pacifism, typically in form of “peace” seeking, desires restoration of the power balance between the conflicting states prior to their heated war propaganda. This view a) legitimizes the 1% states of the IRI and the West and b) it fails to address the 33 years long, IRI imposed economic and military war against a whole population.
Ultimately, all sides of this approach cares only about the wining side of the 1%, either the 1% of Iran (the IRI), or the 1% of the West (Western states). At best it seeks the restoration of power balance between various 1% powers.
The pro 99%
It approaches the events from the perspective of the benefits for the 99% in Iran regardless what the 1% want and do. This approach seeks freedom and equality for all. This approach remains the staunch opposition of the IRI; seeks the overthrow of the IRI, that is, the root cause of the misery for the 99% in Iran, via revolution no matter which state seeks what objective.
The 99% firmly stands against all attempts to support the Islamic regime on the pretext of economic sanctions and war, or to legitimize the Western governments’ scenarios of a change from above. Any military aggression, militarization of the society, plans of “regime change” from above or support of the Islamic regime on the pretext of war. The 99% consider the only way to confront any prospect of war and militarism to be the expansion of the struggle against the Islamic regime and its overthrow by a people’s revolution.
The concern of this view is the poverty imposed upon workers via direct reign of the vicious capitalist IRI or via IRI’s implementation of the IMF austerity plans. Note that after a set of recommendations by the IMF in 2010, the Islamic regime of Tehran cut the subsidies on basic needs, such as food and gas, and made the capitalist system wide open for free, savage market economy. The IRI implemented all IMF's recommendations to the point that IMF praised the IRI as the first country in the world that could successfully implement all the recommendations. This set of recommendations was enforced on the working class of Iran by means of killings and imprisonment of workers, intellectuals and political opponents. While the chances of a war between the two poles of reaction is slim, the real war of the IRI on the working class of Iran started 33 years ago and it continues via implementation of the IMF austerity recommendations.
What the 99% in Iran demands includes
· Women’s equality banner vs gender-apartheid of the IRI
· Children’s rights vs child abuse policies of the IRI; it demands
· Freedom of expression vs brutal, despotic reign of the IRI
· Freedom of all political prisoners unconditionally
· An end to the daily executions, stoning, mutilations
· An end to the racism on Afghan workers in Iran
· An end to the economic sanctions; an end to the war propaganda
· An end to the 33 years fabricated crisis; an end to the daily military suppression of the 99% in Iran
· An end to any and all nuclear programs of the IRI (and all other states), …
Simply put the 99% is determined to end the reign of the IRI. Since it only seeks the benefits of the 99%, this approach concludes: “No War, No Economic Sanctions, No Nukes, Viva revolution against the Islamic Regime“.
What can we do?
Siding with the 99% in Iran, the true anti-war, anti-sanction, peace seeking people who share the freedom and equality sentiment for the people of Iran need to raise the banner of "No War, No Economic Sanction, No Nukes, No Islamic Republic". There is no room for pacifism, ie abstract "peace". What peace is there to start with? Is the current situation a "peace" that we need to defend? If so, why did such a propaganda of war start in the first place? How exactly can demanding "peace" benefit anyone including the stoppage of a potential war? Did the demand of "peace" stop the US-led war against Iraq in 2003? I believe that we need to take an active stand rather than the pacifist "peace" position.
The real way to fight poverty, misery, threat of war, economic sanctions and the whole present hazardous situation is the expansion of the struggle against the Islamic regime in all arenas, as well as overthrowing the regime by the people’s revolution and overtaking the running of society by the workers and people themselves. With all its might, we need to fight for realizing this. That would:
· Cut the war that the IRI has waged against 99% of the population in Iran for 33 years
· An end to the unbearable suffer resulted from the economic sanctions
· An end to the threat of a war with the West/Israel
· An end to the nukes threat
In addition to an active support for the anti-IRI movement, what you could do in the West includes a set of demands to both the Western governments and the Islamic regime:
· Immediate stop of Economic Sanctions
· An end to the war propaganda
· Abolition of all forms of nuclear application, be it for nukes or energy, on a global scale
· All the abovementioned demands of the 99%
In conclusion, a true peace, freedom and equality in Iran is equivalent to the overthrow of the Islamic regime by a revolution.
AUTHOR
Born in Iran, Abbas Goya is a political activist, a Marxist. His activism includes campaigns for worker's rights, children’s and women’s rights, freedom of expression, students’ rights, refugee rights, against capital punishment and stoning, and against fascism and racism. He is a staunch opposition to the Islamic regime of Iran. See more at //abbasgoya.com
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Well, that's all there is to it then...
by bahmani on Wed Feb 22, 2012 06:15 PM PSTI love the way folks seem to distill and simplify the matters at hand and wave their magic wands of always unearned analysis over it and then presume to offer solutions that only make sense in the walnut sized vacuum chamber of their own mind.
It isn't that simple. If it were, it would be fixed.
While it is true that the US dropped nukes on Japan, and made a huge mistake in Vietnam, the US has also done a heck of a lot of good around the world too.
Consequently, while Iran has a really bad form of government, you can in fact today take the Tehran metro all the way to Karaj if you want.
So it isn't black and white. There are thousands of shades of gray in between. This is why there is no simple fix or solution to US-Iran relations.
So long as egos rule the roost on both ends and mis-communication, mis-firing of mis-placed rhetoric, and mis-cues are mis-interpreted and mis-understood, nothing but nothing will mend the rift that is sadly now wider than ever, and widening by the day.
Sadder still is that it appears that for the people in power on both sides to know what regret tastes like, they are going to have to eat some sand and taste some blood.
Unfortunately this is how the world learns.
My advice? Stay out of the way if you can.
My regret? I wish I had done more to stop this back in 1979.
To read more bahmani posts visit: //brucebahmani.blogspot.com/
IR is the problem!
by Arash Kamangir on Wed Feb 22, 2012 06:19 AM PSTThe main demand of iranians are that IR and its velayat faghih to get lost! We don't want anything from IR because we know IR would not "give" anything. People want freedom and democracy so they can decide what they want. The left can forget that they can find a political solution to the problem of "IR". IR is the problem!!
The IRI is a "giant step towards Democracy" :-)
by AMIR1973 on Tue Feb 21, 2012 06:58 PM PSTBut I believe once the vetting is done the elections in the history of Iran post revolution have been fairly conducted. People get elected, serve their terms and leave. That by itself is a giant step towards Democracy. Imagine if their was no guardian council and things would be great!
The IRI is the most democratic regime whose Leader-for-Life can only be a Shia male cleric, chosen by several dozen Shia male religious "experts", whose pseudo-parliament is vetted and overseen by a group of 12 Shia male religious "experts", and whose judiciary is headed by Shia male religous "experts". There is little to no freedom from or of religion, speech, press or assembly, and one and only one line of political "thought" (i.e. Khomeinist Islamism) is allowed. The regime and its enforcers regulate numerous aspects of dress, behavior, relationships, curriculum, etc, etc. It is the leading jallor of journalists, the leading per capita executioner (second only to China, a state with almost 20 times Iran's population), and prescribes all sorts of savage medieval punishments (i.e. flogging, amputation, stoning, eye gouging) for "crimes" such as adultery, pornography, mofsed fel arz, mohareb, etc. Oh yeah, the IRI is well on its way to "evolving" towards a "democracy". Democracy, here we come, IRI style!
A theocracy by definition is anathema to democracy and people's
by Siamak Asadian on Tue Feb 21, 2012 06:12 PM PSTrule.
Hence like the so called "Holy Roman Empire," "Islamic Republic of Iran" is neither of the three:
it's not a proper Republic,
Nor Islamic (overwhelming majority of Moslems in the world laugh at the idea of VF),
Neither very much Iranian in character.
You keep basing your 'argument' on "data" produced by officials who have killed, raped, jailed and arrested anyone and everyone who has opposed the results. So much for 'objectivity' in your part.
The bottom line is that you think of Iranian people, specially the working class and the poor as a bunch of fanatic morons, who after all these years and crimes of IR, elimination of subsidies, highest rates of unemployment and inflation, moving the country to the brink of war, disater and disintegration still have faith in AN.
The only ones with such a faith in AN and IR are you and your type (for obvious reasons: money , status,...) not us.
Siamak
by Rastgoo on Tue Feb 21, 2012 05:46 PM PSTYou see your data is circumstantial: "There were reports of residents of Khani Abad and Midan Shosh...." ok fine I agree some of the lower strata were present in the demonstrations but what %? Then you say "Some, correctly, argue that it was precisely the heavy presence of this working class and poor..." again "some say" that's here say. It's not data. Siamak, I like you want to believe that the great majority of the Iranian people didn't vote for AN but you cannot base your judgment on what some say or do. The only gauge is the election data and the polling data that we have. I'm not saying that the whole concept of the elections is correct, when we all know that the guardian council vets the candidates. But I believe once the vetting is done the elections in the history of Iran post revolution have been fairly conducted. People get elected, serve their terms and leave. That by itself is a giant step towards Democracy. Imagine if their was no guardian council and things would be great! About your last point about the 4 hours and the number of votes etc. I can't comment because I don't know enough about the details. All I can say again is that if you were to ask the officials of the IRI for an explanation here they would probably give you a very convincing one. Now, there is no reason to think that just because AN won the elections the people are supportive of the regime. I don't think so. If you read to my first posting here, my guess is that the support for the regime is probably around 25% and the opposition is about 75%. Many of the people that voted for AN were looking for change in the sense that knew of AN's hidden agenda of ridding the regime of the clerics.
Siamak
by Rastgoo on Tue Feb 21, 2012 05:45 PM PSTYou see your data is circumstantial: "There were reports of residents of Khani Abad and Midan Shosh...." ok fine I agree some of the lower strata were present in the demonstrations but what %? Then you say "Some, correctly, argue that it was precisely the heavy presence of this working class and poor..." again "some say" that's here say. It's not data. Siamak, I like you want to believe that the great majority of the Iranian people didn't vote for AN but you cannot base your judgment on what some say or do. The only gauge is the election data and the polling data that we have. I'm not saying that the whole concept of the elections is correct, when we all know that the guardian council vets the candidates. But I believe once the vetting is done the elections in the history of Iran post revolution have been fairly conducted. People get elected, serve their terms and leave. That by itself is a giant step towards Democracy. Imagine if their was no guardian council and things would be great! About your last point about the 4 hours and the number of votes etc. I can't comment because I don't know enough about the details. All I can say again is that if you were to ask the officials of the IRI for an explanation here they would probably give you a very convincing one. Now, there is no reason to think that just because AN won the elections the people are supportive of the regime. I don't think so. If you read to my first posting here, my guess is that the support for the regime is probably around 25% and the opposition is about 75%. Many of the people that voted for AN were looking for change in the sense that knew of AN's hidden agenda of ridding the regime of the clerics.
A Suggestion for JJ and IC
by masoudA on Tue Feb 21, 2012 08:50 AM PSTI suggest People like this Abbas Agha who never stay around to respond to members/readers comments should not be published....otherwise Iranian.com can easily become a tool for propagandists of all sides.
Dear Abbas Agha.....Your article overlooks the most important forces and elements in the region. Where is Russia in all of this? How about the anglo-russian entente still in place??? do you even know about it? What about China? Who is buying oil from IR these days....have you looked at the possibility of some other countries benefiting from buying our oil @$5/barell? Did you know Bahrain just ousted Exxon and allowed Shell to take over all oil operation? why and how? You Iranian marxists are being used yet once again by forces who do not have the best in mind for Iran......whatever you do - don't forget, "Status Quo" is equal to defeat of the people of Iran......all you have to figure out is who wins? who is buying our oil at less than market value....and it certainly is not America!!!!
What percent of the working class voted for Iran's actual leader
by AMIR1973 on Mon Feb 20, 2012 07:12 PM PSTThe one who holds the final word on all vital matters (look at IRI's "constitution"). Elections under the IRI are not "fraudulent"; they are an utter sham. The most important office, that of Supreme Leader (for Life) cannot under any circumstance be chosen by popular vote (unless you consider the Assembly of Experts to be the voice of the voiceless toiling classes). We're debating "elections" for the IRI's "presidency" as if we're discussing a democracy!
اگر دستمزد 330 هزار تومانی سه برابر هم شود دردی از ما کارگران دو
Siamak AsadianMon Feb 20, 2012 06:49 PM PST
پروین محمدی در مصاحبه با سایت اتحاد
اگر دستمزد 330 هزار تومانی سه برابر هم شود دردی از ما کارگران دوا نخواهد شد
ماه پایان سال است و از یکی دوماه پیش بحث افزایش دستمزدها مطرح است. پروین محمدی نایب رئیس اتحادیه آزاد کارگران ایران در این زمینه به سایت اتحاد اظهار داشت:
واقعیت این است که این بحث به عنوان یک مسئله در زندگی ما کارگران هر لحظه و هر روز که با هزینه های کمرشکن زندگی سر و کار داریم و با آن میجنگیم بسیار مهم و مربوط به هستی ما است. بخصوص امسال که با قطع یارانه ها، شاهد افزایش روزانه ی قیمت ها بودیم و حتی اقلامی که قیمت گذاری آنها در دست دولت بود، همانند میوه و تره بار و لبنیات و گوشت و مرغ و تخم مرغ و بلیط اتوبوس و مترو چندین بار افزایش یافت چرا که تمام کالاها یک متولی دارند که مطابق با تورم بازار نرخشان را بالا ببرند ولی ما کارگران هستیم که برای تعیین نرخ نیروی کارمان باید کسان دیگری غیر از خودمان تصمیم بگیرند
متاسفانه آنان که در مسند تصمیم گیری قرار گرفته اند در ماه های پایانی سال تورم یادشان میافتد تا این تورم را ملاک افزایش دستمزد قرار دهند، انگارتا کنون مزد واقعی را تعیین کرده اند و در طول سال افسار تورم و افزایش قیمت ها را توانستند کنترل کنند واکنون دغدغه ی افزایش هزینه ها در همین ماههای پایانی سال را دارند. این در حالی است که در طی سالیان گذشته آنچنان سطح دستمزد با هزینه های زندگی فاصله گرفته که اعلام هردرصدی آن راجبران را نمیکند، حتی اگر 330 هزار تومان حداقل دستمزد به سه برابر نیز افزایش پیدا کند دردی از ما کارگران دوا نخواهد شد
وی در رابطه با نظر خود در مورد میزان افزایش دستمزدها افزود:
سال گذشته کمیته ی مزد تهران با اینکه از افراد مورد اعتماد وزارت کار تعیین شده اند و همیشه برای سخن گفتن منافع کارفرمایان و دولت را در نظر میگیرند با تحقیقاتش رقم یک میلیون و پانصد هزار تومان را متناسب برای هزینه های یک خانواده ی کارگری اعلام کرد
امسال همانطور که گفتم با این روند افزایش قیمتی که در طول سال با آن مواجه بودیم و چهار درصد مالیات بر ارزش افزوده ای که برای تمام خریدهایی که انجام میدهیم باید پرداخت کنیم ,رقمی کمتر از دو میلیون هزار تومان جوابگوی هزینه ها نخواهد بود البته با استاندارد های زندگی در ایران نه سطح توقع یک زندگی در خور آدمیزاد.
پروین محمدی تاکید کرد: البته این رقم برای شرایط کنونی نسبتا مناسب است نه برای سال آینده که هیچ تصوری از افزایش قیمت ها در آن نیست.
وی در رابطه با این سوال که آیا شورای عالی کار چنین رقمهایی را به عنوان حداقل دستمزد کارگران اعلام میکند یا نه، اظهار داشت:
مسلما خیر، چرا که این شورا تعیین شده است تا مواظب سود بازار و کارفرماها باشد و میل و انگیزه ی صاحب سرمایه برای آنکه سرمایه اش را به کار گیرد کم نشود. بنابر این تمام توانش را به کار خواهد بست تا مزد کمتری برای ما کارگران در نظر بگیرد. همانطوری که در دوران جنگ هیچ افزایشی برای دستمزد قایل نشدند و در سالهای بعد با اعلام تورمهای غیر واقعی مبلغی غیر واقعی برای دستمزد تعیین نمودند.
به همین دلیل کارشناسانشان در مواجه با نارضایتی ما کارگران از دستمزدهای تعیین شده توسط شورای عالی کار، حین همدردی با ما کارگران و اعلام نارضایتی از چنین سطح دستمزدی، اعلام میکنند که باید رقمی برای دستمزد تعیین شود که کارفرماها توان پرداخت آن را داشته باشند و هشدار میدهند که اگر حقوق کارگران متناسب با هزینه ها تعیین شود دیگر هیچ کارفرمایی قادر به ادامه ی تولید نیست و بنابر این از همین اعلام میکنند که میخواهند ورشکستگی و بحران اقتصادی شان را بیشتر از گذشته بر سر ما سفره خالی ما کارگران خراب کنند.
سایت اتحاد - پایان مصاحبه - 1390/11/
//iranian.com/main/news/2012/02/19-4
The working class and poor actually had a very strong presence
by Siamak Asadian on Mon Feb 20, 2012 06:42 PM PSTduring the Ashura demonstrations. There were reports of residents of Khani Abad and Midan Shosh present in the Ashura demonstartions. Some, correctly, argue that it was precisly the heavy presence of this working class and poor strata that scared the bejesus out of Greens, leading them to adopting "Tojan Horse" tactic (blending in with pro-AN crowd, read: disarming the protest movement) in the next big demo after Ashura, 22 Bahman anniversary of that year. Effectively cutting off and ending a process which could have well overthrown IR.
You claim to abide by facts and statestics, very good.
Thirty five million Iranians live below poverty level.
Eighty percent of Iranian working class lives below poverty line.
The line of poverty in Iran as of last year was 350,000 Tomans. Keeping the current inflation rate and all economic miasmas and mismanagement at the moment this line could be anywhere around half a million Tomans.
The official minnimum wage in IR is 320,000 Tomans. Which is NEVER paid to workers, and in most cases, workers haven't been paid for months, or have to work two, or three jobs just to keep up with basic expenses.
Now, we (and workers and the poor in Iran) are supposed to forget all these everyday, harsh realities of life and just support AN. Even after elimination of subsidies, causing the highest inflation and unemployment, ...
I agree that we should have no illusions about where the working class and the poor in Iran come from. For the most part they are very conservative and religious, but that doesn't make them stupid. Like anyother worker in the world (like all of us) they hate to work, and be exploited, and no who's working for them, and who's working against them.
Last but not least. ( And this question will come up , untill you answer it properly). Please explain to us, why in the world, if in AN was so ahead in the vote tabulations, they had to cancel the live broadcast of votes coming in from four corners of IRan, for four hours. And resume the program, announcign they had counted 24 million votes? Would anyone winning an election resort to such an erratic move?
Mash Ghasem and Vildamose
by Rastgoo on Mon Feb 20, 2012 06:11 PM PSTThe root of our political problems are cultural. People tend to infer their logic from here say and conjecture rather than systematically analyzing the data. There is a conspiratorial spin placed on top of every story. That's why for 32 yesrs we have fooled ourselves that this regime is unpopular and about to fall any day. We have to all learn to open our eyes objectively and review the situation not based on our "enlightened" universe but from the eyes of the majority of the Iranian people. These are the poor and toiling masses that don't make enough to eat more than 1 kilo of meat per month if that. These people have different goals and aspiration that you and I and the rest of the lucky minority. These people form the back bone of this regime and that's why this regime is still in power. The Iranian Green movement does not have much appeal to the hungry masses which by any conservative measure are about 40% of the Iranian population. I'm not saying that the regime is popular or good in anyway. But if you really research into the election statistics you'll find that there is not a shred of non-circumstantial evidence that proves electoral wrong doing. Mix that with the tens of the pre-election polling that predicted that AN would win and you have solid evidence to support an AN win. But we don't want to believe that because we think we are the only ones that should be allowed to determine the path of Iran. The poor don't count. This is the class restricted view point that has kept the opposition to the IRI to ever truly become effective. It is sad but it is the reality. You want it to be different go back to Iran and educate the masses. And instead of calling people who say logic names, think and evaluate correctly. For example anyone with an elementary understanding of statistics would understand that you don't need to get a 100% count for accuracy. Hence the concept of statistical sampling. The other incident I'm not aware of. Again, I'm not a Baseej or IRI supporter. I despise this regime as much as anyone else. But I don't lie to myself and everyone else by clouding reality.
Thank you Mr. Gooya!
by Rostam Rakhshian on Mon Feb 20, 2012 03:36 PM PSTNot many people are looking at the social cost of this nuclear program, a very immoral form of energy exploitation that only benefits a tiny, tiny minority, and the environmental and social cost of which will be paid by the ordinary working people and their communities for MILLIONS of years!
Nobody is paying attention to the fact that production of nuclear energy has a highly radioactively toxic byproduct, 'depleted uranium'. The uranium contained in this by-product will remain radioactive and poisonous for ALL life forms for millions of years. The half-life of this uranium is 4 BILLION years.
Human beings have no way of diffusing, getting rid of, or safely storing away this radioactive garbage for the length of time it remains an enormously dangerous substance.
Most recently, and since the NATO war in the Balkans, a most insidious way of 'recycling' this radioactive (and very heavy) metal has been to incorporate it in munitions and armor for tanks, etc. The hugely increased rate of cancers in Iraq and former Yugoslav regions that were bombarded by the NATO forces using uranium enhanced munitions are testament to the fact of the hugely dangerous effects of exposure to this so-called 'depleted uranium'.
There are even documented cases of U.S. armed forces personnel who returned from Iraq and impregnated their wives after return, and whose babies were born with extreme deformities that could only be explained by genetic mutations introduced by the fathers. One major way radioactive toxicity manifests itself is through causing genetic mutations. This has also been well studied among the Japanese survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Here is another point to consider: no private-sector insurance company is willing to insure any nuclear plants in the U.S.
Also, the nuclear industry in the U.S., on a regular basis, has to be bailed out by the U.S. taxpayers. So, even though it makes billions of dollars for some companies, it still remains a financial burden on the general public.
To sum, the Iranian regime is playing with the lives of tens of millions of our people over a proposition that is a disaster even in the best case scenario. And in our case, our 'best case scenario' is built in Bushehr: a region of Iran that is very much prone to strong earthquakes. Study what happened at Fukushima's Di-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan (build with the help of GE, which 'brings good things to life!'), and learn!
People of Iran have a right to, and must loudly demand, an immediate stoppage to all nuclear activities being carried out by a regime that is obviously willing to send hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths just to ensure their own hold on power (as in the Iran-Iraq war, which could have ended in 1982, but was kept alive and killing for another six years).
No Nukes! No Mullahs! No Imperialist Sanctions & War!Hamid jan you're too kind.I could be wrong but I think you might
by Mash Ghasem on Mon Feb 20, 2012 07:53 AM PSTbe confusing Mr.Goya with Doorogh'go aka "Rastgo."
Rafigh Goya, as far as I know, does not support either China or Russia and considers the so-called "Presidential Election" in Iran a fraud. Check out his website. Cheers.
Arthimis and Mash Ghasem have the best comments.....
by ham1328 on Mon Feb 20, 2012 07:43 AM PSTMr. Gooya,
Truly, how could you forget evils like Russia and China??
How did they count 24 million votes, by hand, in less than 4 hours??
How can a barbaric system, such as IRI , be reformed??
Hamid
doroghgoo: You are
by vildemose on Mon Feb 20, 2012 07:37 AM PSTdoroghgoo: You are insulting everyone's intelligence. Your kind of logic might convince thugs and your insular basij brethern but it won't work on anyone with one brain cell.
A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
.
by Mash Ghasem on Mon Feb 20, 2012 07:29 AM PST.
Doorogh'go you still haven't answered the simple question. If AN
by Mash Ghasem on Mon Feb 20, 2012 07:30 AM PSTwas ahead in the votes why did they have to cancel the live broadcast of vote tabulation?
Name me one super computer in the Universe that could count 24 million votes in less than four hourse?
The obvious answers to both questions, would reveal your true color. That's why you'll never be able to answer and just stick lables to your opponents.
I have to "confess" you really got me on your last 'illuminating" point just ask everyone on this site, they'll tell you, how much of a big fan of monarchy I've been all my life. Just how obtuse can you get?
I loved Arthimis Response
by Maryam Hojjat on Mon Feb 20, 2012 01:46 AM PSTMr. Gooya, do you have any answer for her?
Capitan Shahbazi
by Mohammad Ala on Sun Feb 19, 2012 07:15 PM PSTCapitan Shahbazi will present my paper on Civil Aviation and its effect on ordinary Iranians who have been killed due to sanctions in Geneva in March 2012 (before Nowruz).
سلام اقای دکتر اعلا
با تشکر بسیار از لطف جنابعالی بخاطر ترجمه متن.خواندم عالی بود
شهبازی
The Banner!
by G. Rahmanian on Sun Feb 19, 2012 07:41 PM PSTUnder the section, "What can we do?" the banner must read:
"No Islamist Terrorist Republic = No war, No Economic Sanctions, No Nukes!"
Had it not been for the destructive policies of the Islamist criminals in Tehran, Iran could have become a major economic powerhouse by now.
Had it not been for the warmongering policies of IR, Iranians would not have suffered so much as a result of the 8-year war with Iraq. A war which was provoked and prolonged by the Mullahs and their foot soldiers.
As Arthimis has correctly pointed out, Russia and China seem to have been somehow left out of the equation. I, too, wonder why!
mash ghasem
by Rastgoo on Sun Feb 19, 2012 07:06 PM PSTObviously you're another one of those "freedom minded" people on this site that just can't handle any news that goes contrary to their simple beliefs. As soon as you hear any thing that may remotely sound out of line with your own faulty thinking you label people as spies, pro IRI...No my dear naive friend (betting that you're a shahollahi by the way) the evidence is all over the web and I'm not lying. All it takes is research. Just go on wikipedia and look it up or any where else. But I doubt that you have the necessary tolerance for opposing views to do this. You just like to scream and lebel whoever disagrees with you.
My personal "reform" timeline (IMHO)....
by AMIR1973 on Sun Feb 19, 2012 07:02 PM PSTThe IRI will be reformed shortly before the arrival of Emam Zaman. I'm going to hold my breath waiting for the IRI to reform itself....
Remove sanctions & the Iranian people will take care of the IRI
by AMIR1973 on Sun Feb 19, 2012 07:01 PM PSTThat doesn't sound the least bit like wishful thinking (especially facing a regime that enjoys tens of billions of dollars in oil revenue every year).....
Wonderful Analysis &
by Arthimis on Sun Feb 19, 2012 06:02 PM PSTWonderful Analysis & Article Mr. Gooya, Thank you...
As you rightfully wrote yourself, your complete analysis about The Crimes of The West & Islamic Republic against humanity is indeed "obvious and irrefutable for all the world to see." is perfectly on the mark!
But with all due respect, you forgot to mention TWO Other Super Evil Players here! : RUSSIA & CHINA and as a human and an Iranian, I wonder why?! Did you simply forget?
Every sane mind with an ounce of decency and fairness is aware that these TWO Super Powers are directly support & protecting the Evil I.R.I FOR THEIR OWN NATIONAL INTERESTS and also their direct confrontation against their Western Rivals! Without their direct support and protection of IRI, this criminal regime doesn't stand the chance to survive the Western Imperialist Pressures , not even for a month, let alone for 33 long and dark years in Iranian history...
2 weeks ago, The entire world saw how ruthlessly Russia & China directly, openly and proudly confronted the West (and the rest of the world...) in their VETO against the oppresed and defenseless Syrians and in favor of Criminal Asad's regime!!! Sir, Did you miss that by any chance or what? One recent international report alone shows Russia alone has sold over $6 BILION of weapons to Asad's criminal regime since 2006 alone!!! They have their Navy lined up in Syrian ports for access to Mediterranean Sea and Stand against the West!!
Take that 6 Billion dollars number above (from a little poor country like Syria compare to Iran on all levels...) and multiply that by a 100,000 (minimum) and that will equal to on how much they have stole and shafted Iran & Iranian people (since 1989-1990 in particular!) by selling their Weapons, Various incomplete Nuclear Projects, All kinds of worthless commercial business from A to Z (for Iran) & Trillions of $ they took away from Iran in taking away Iran's share of Caspian Oil & Gas in a treaty signed by their little servant monkey, aka Ahmadinejad some 3 years ago secertly in Switzerland on behalf of Iran and Iranians!!!
And above all, in providing their KGB like intelligence, agents, plans and direction in killing, imprisoning and torturing innocent and unarmed Iranian people during their uprising in and after 2009 election & uprising!!!
I personally will wait for your fair and human response about the CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY (AND IN OUR OWN CASE , OUR OWN BELOVED IRANIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS) COMMITTED BY RUSSIA IN SPECIFIC AND CHINA TOO!!!
Best wishes ...
FREE IRAN AND IRANIANS FROM ALL EVILS, BE IT, ISLAMIC , WEST & EASTERN IMPERIALISTS!!
BLOOD IN THE
by vildemose on Sun Feb 19, 2012 04:56 PM PSTBLOOD IN THE STREETS
Syria Rebels Retaliate Against Crackdown, Kill State Prosecutor, Judge
A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
If AN was winning election why was the live broadcast stopped?
by Mash Ghasem on Sun Feb 19, 2012 04:39 PM PSTAnd continued four hours later, after they had "counted" 24 million votes, in less than four hours?!?!
Rastgo , you sound like a Doorogh'go, hell bent on perservation of thugs in power, through 'reforms.' Too little too late.
Violence and brutaity has its limits. Take a look at Syria, IR thugs are very well aware of this fact as well.
Ratio
by Rastgoo on Sun Feb 19, 2012 04:16 PM PSTThe article is very informative. I also don't agree with the 99%. I think the one solid data point that we have is that the 6th majlis was 80% reformist, 20% fundamentalist. According to this the ratio is more like 80-20. Having said that I personally don't believe that the election was "stolen". I think AN really did win since there were numerous external and internal polls that predicted the 60-40 AN win. But the question is why and what happened to the 80-20? I think that a large portion of the 80% was tired of the reformist camp and their unfulfilled promises. Where as AN seems to have a hidden agenda of getting rid of the clerical part of the IRI which the 80% really wants. Also do keep in mind that Moussavi entered the race late and didn't have enough time for an effective campaign. In the end I still do believe that about 75% of Iranians want the clerical regime to be reformed not a revolution or regime change. To drive away the power from the clergy and then slowly enact other changes. But the 25% are ruling and they are brutal.
Ratio is slightley exaggerated: it's more like 90% against 10%,
by Mash Ghasem on Sun Feb 19, 2012 01:58 PM PSTwith a significant caveat.
The ten percent is armed to teeth, highly motivated and organized, and unlike shah's forces will fight to their last bullet.
Having said that, once the 90% gets united and brings the entire country to a standstill through a General Strike, there's not a damn thing the state could do.
Keeping in mind, once we get united that ten percent will begin to seriously diminish and lose its motivation.
OMG How is this possible?????
by amirparvizforsecularmonarchy on Sun Feb 19, 2012 01:47 PM PSTBorn in Iran, Abbas Goya is a political activist, a Marxist. Abbas, first of all, a deserved well done, I wouldn't have changed a single word and have been stating your sentiments on IC for a long time. My problem is how on earth can you consider yourself a Marxist with such views and such a wonderful piece you sound like me even in some places. I am a For Secular Democratic Iran with the Institution of Monarchy. I like your politics, just get the distinction on defending Irans culture and you will realize that marxism didn't accomplish any of these goals of yours, yet the monarchy did a far better job at it.