Labor Minister: We can and must be successful

The minister of cooperatives, labor, and social welfare has said that Iran should successfully show to the world that Islam and the revolution are a well-oiled machine.

Ali Rabiei made the remark in a ceremony in Qom marking the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. The following is a partial translation of his remarks as reported by nasimonline.ir on February 5:

The minister said that regional developments and Islamic Awakening [movement] are among the Islamic revolution’s achievements. “Unfortunately, the Islamic Revolution has been subjected to injustice. Movies have been made and books have been written against the revolution over the years. They have all tried to depict the Islamic Revolution as nothing but a dictatorial system with no achievement.”

He also said, “Today the Supreme Leader addresses the youth in Europe and North America and says that they [the youth] can remain under the umbrella [of the revolution]. I was once a factory worker and now I am a minister. This is what we highlight as religious democracy. This is the thing that can take our society toward prosperity.”

Rabiei further said, “We should not let the efficacy of the [Islamic] establishment be challenged. We need to spread the revolution’s tenderness and leniency so much so that bigger crowds of people can come under its umbrella. We should remain accountable to the public as we try to win their satisfaction.”

He continued, “Efforts should be made not to allow the most unpopular regime – the Zionist regime which indiscriminately kills children – to be cast as popular; rather, the oppressed should be endeared. Iran’s foreign policy wants to show that there are people in Islamic Iran who want peace for the world, they speak the truth in a mild tone, but they stand up to injustice in order to reveal the true colors of an unjust regime.

“We are able to be successful. Failure is not an option. Any movement which seeks to cast Islam as inefficient does not help the revolution. We should show the efficient face of Islam and the revolution.”

As for the government’s economic performance, he said that his ministry has issued as many as 8 million health cards – a plan which has failed in the US and countries like Singapore – for which experts have praised Iran.

The minister further said that the government balanced this year’s budget based on oil prices of $40 a barrel, adding that when President Rouhani’s government took over economic growth was in negative territory, but the country has since posted three percent growth.