Ahmadinejad shouldn’t have remained president even for a single day: MP

In a speech at Ghuchan University on May 7, Ali Motahari, a principlist Tehran deputy, took a swipe at his fellow MPs for their failure to react to the actions of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The following is the translation of part of the comments he made at a memorial of his father Martyr Morteza Motahari, as reported by entekhab.ir:

On Ahmadinejad presidency

Actions of former President Ahmadinejad in violation of law did not meet with a fitting response and the deputies of the 8^th and 9^th parliaments along with principlists are to blame for such failure, because they have a wrong interpretation of the rule of the jurisprudent.

Ahmadinejad openly said that he would implement the laws he deemed as constitutional and exclude the ones that he found in contrast with the Constitution. From my perspective, such a person should not have remained president even for a single day.

On cash subsidies, he acted against the law; the government [of President Rouhani] should talk with people honestly and tell them that the process was not well executed in the first place. People will accept it if they see honesty in the words of the government.

On 2009 presidential election

Justice must be administered and the share of blame everyone involved in the post-election developments receives should be determined; they must stand trial if necessary.

To assume that only two individuals were to blame and what others did was right amounts to burying our heads in the sand, because as long as justice is not delivered, the conscience of society won’t be soothed.

On President Rouhani’s controversial remarks

I don’t agree with President Rouhani when he said that the law enforcement is duty-bound to implement the law and not Islam, because our laws are Islamic.

The president might have meant the personal interpretation of Islamic rules [by police] in dealing with offenders.

On corruption and embezzlement

In the past few years corruption has not been limited to cases in which one or a few individuals have siphoned off money; rather, illegal money transfers and abuse of power for which the 8^th and 9^th parliament as well as the previous government should be held accountable were at the center of corruption cases.

The presence of injustice and discrimination will deny society mental equilibrium, giving rise to emergence of two classes in society: the disadvantaged suffering mental complexes and over-demanding rent-seekers.

Miscellaneous

I think it is up to the Foreign Ministry to decide whether or not to release the Iranian fact sheet, because its publication might be to the detriment of the talks. What matters is that we pay closer attention to the wording of the final deal.

In my opinion the initiative to have provincial elections has pros and cons. Personally, I favor the plan, because its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. All in all it is to the benefit of the establishment and revolution.

I do not approve of political classifications such as principlists and reformists and won’t fit in either category.

Foreign media support any criticism aimed at the establishment, but it does not mean that those who are critical of the establishment are in contact with foreigners.