Statements [Constancy in the face of responsibility; case of the small groups in Kurdistan province]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Is the remedy that responsible persons should be set aside; or should responsible persons have a greater role in promotions? Those who believe in Islam, have faith in the country, and want this country to settle down, can help in this matter. All persons must in such serious circumstances, enter the arena, otherwise when the situation is normal, there is no need The solution is not that you should step aside, because the people regard it necessary for you to stay on. The remedy is in solving the problems.

Yesterday- probably it was yesterday- I asked the ministers of economy, the minister of defense, the commander of the gendarmerie forces, and others to come here. «1» And I cautioned them that the frontiers must be made secure so that weapons are not imported from abroad into the country. This is the responsibility of the army. The gendarmerie forces must also have the capability to deal with all such cases. I was told that the robbers and bandits are involved in this trade. If these things happen, you are responsible, and those of you who are capable of work should stay on; any of you who cannot, should get on with his own job and someone else should come and take his place. I have said this to all of them, and they expressed their desire to stay and said that they would take action in all earnest. But, they also asked us to boost the morale of the army, gendarmerie, the police and these security forces which I intend to do.

In any case, you must come to an understanding with this very chief of staff, with the commander of the gendarmerie and these people, and propose to them to resolve the problems the way you want it. Stepping down in the hour of need of the country is contrary to the spirit of military service. The soldiering spirit is that when it is the hour of need of the country, you must come forward. This applies for me too, who am a soldier; it applies for you who are also soldiers; and the same applies for the gentlemen. If we decide that when a revolution occurs, the gentlemen go and sit inside their homes and keep busy with reading; I also go and lock myself in my home and get busy with my own work, and you also step down, and every person steps aside, this again, is contrary to the spirit of the Revolution, and also is opposed to Islam as well as the soldiering spirit which must be present in all of us.

In any case, the solution to the problem is not in your declining to go there. Because if you do not go there, then will that place be reformed? No, it will become worse. The solution to the problem is that, you should serve to the extent that is possible for you. To the extent that it is not possible, you are excused. Like the entire world over, a human being works to the extent that is possible for him

These problems also, must be talked over with them and resolved. The gendarmerie wants that its morale be strengthened; the army wants its morale to be strengthened; the barracks also want their morale to be strengthened. These whom I called have promised that they will do their job. But, they have asked me to boost their morale in a speech, which I intend to do.

In any case, before the gentlemen arrived here, I was informed that the gentlemen had indicated that» ahirnezhad is a useful and capable person and he must not step down. Capable persons must not say that now because the situation is a bit abnormal they will step aside. Will you leave your country in distress and step aside? Well, it cannot be done until there is a need you must serve; stepping aside from service is contrary to the military service spirit. A person must step forward and go to the places where the country needs, where the nation needs and Islam has enjoined. Therefore, none of us has the right to step down now. Well, I too, in this old age would like to go and rest; but now the duty is not this. Now, I am constantly busy; I take very little rest; I am not feeling so well either, but this is what is required of me right now. Each of the gentlemen who likes to go and take a rest, can do it. Resting is better. But this is not what is required of them.

In any case, now is the time to sit down together and solve the problems, and not turning your back on the problems. Should I go now that there is a problem? No, we cannot say this. You must make your proposal to those same gentlemen that I mentioned; they are at the army headquarters; you must go there and discuss it with them. In any case, what was in my power was to give them instructions, which I have done. They came here and I frankly told them that whoever cannot continue, should step down, and whoever is staying must work. From now on, if we see that weapons are entering the country again, or are being stolen on the way, that part which pertains to the gendarmerie will be answerable by the head of the gendarmerie forces, and that which pertains to the army will be the responsibility of the chief of the army. And this I said very openly; and this is how it exactly is.

Today, all of us must join hands together to push back the groups who are opposed to the movement; who are opposed to the country and who are opposed to the interests of the country. I do not agree with what you said at the beginning of your speech that all these groups agreed. These Communist groups, these supporters of the Toudeh Party were behind the front; they would never come to the frontline to reveal which of them have been killed. We will show them if they ask for it; we have graveyards filled with those that were killed- these are our dead. They cannot show their dead, because in times of battle they run away so that others do the fighting; the moment things calm down a little, they come forward in order to cause disturbance or to exploit the situation. This is how they are. They have not come forward they were never at the forefront; in fact right from the start, they were never involved in these matters. Now that they have seen that some progress is being made, and maybe they can profit from the situation, they have raised their heads. This is how these political parties are too. The Democratic Party and such and such front none of them are popular. The people have done the job alone. The people revolted, and this very third classes; not those of the first classes, the first classes stayed put in their respective places and did nothing. These third classes are the same people who took action. Gradually, the military realized that it must join with them. They joined that same class in the military. The movement was not carried by the top class who plundered everything and decamped. These third class people carried the movement forward. Now in much the same way it must be carried forward by these very people of the lower classes. We must also discuss the problems with them. Whatever problems you have you shall refer to them and I will talk with them so that they are resolved. And you too should be at your jobs; while we too are busy with our jobs.

[In reply to the query of a member of the audience, in which he had referred to the situation at the borders of the country, the Imam stated:]

"I have told the chief of staff about the borders problem, and instructed them to safeguard these borders so that others do not enter the country anymore."