Speech [General deprivation, the legacy of the Pahlavi regime]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The problem now is that every group thinks that it was the deprived one that did not enjoy the benefit of civilization, whereas this problem is not confined to your tribes alone. It is not that only you have been deprived of schools and roads and all the other aspects of life. According to the list that has been given to me, Tehran itself, which is the capital city, has about thirty quarters that lack all the things necessary for an individual to live. They lack water, electricity and dispensaries. There are people living in slums, tents and huts not only in the environs of Tehran, but in the city itself; in Tehran itself. According to what is said, there are about thirty areas that have these tent-dwellers who, because of the so-called" land reform", migrated to the areas around the city and in the city itself and have pitched their tents there. They have dug out a place and are leading a kind of life there that is much worse than that of the tribes. Do not think that the people in other places are living in welfare and not you. The issue has been that not only has no attention been given to the country, but it seems as if an enemy wants to gain control of a country and deter the people from leading their lives.

The other problem is that the gentlemen think that such a state of affairs that has existed from before will, henceforth, not be so. The lack of electricity, water, roads, dispensaries, and all the other things are matters that had existed during the time of the former regime and have been bequeathed by it. It is now some months that the Revolution has taken place and in which we are in. It is now five months. It is now four and a half months that they have gone; that these thieves have gone taking away with them everything that Iran had. They carted away whatever they could. And what they couldn't, they borrowed from the banks. They have looted the banks and departed. And now it has fallen upon the shoulders of the government to return all this to the banks. It is now nearly five months that we have obtained deliverance from these plunderers, and a country that has nothing, has fallen into the hands of the government and the nation. The economy is bankrupt, the educational system is backward and with the exception of some centers, the rest of the people from the cities and the very ends of the country are deprived of the vestiges of civilization. And now that freedom has been won and the force and pressures removed, some people, whether those that are religiously deviated or not, have appeared among the people and are engaged in plunder or in creating trouble. They are the remnants of that same regime and that same set-up. It is like this all over Iran now.

Well, you imagine that everything can be set right in Iran, a country which had all its things stolen and taken away, leaving it in a ruined state with no proper economy, no proper educational system, no proper gendarmerie, army, or anything else. Those that are now running the country are the people that are keeping order and protecting the system. Do you think that it is possible and could be done? That everything be restored to a sound state all at once? There are problems; all of us must join hands- the government and the people- and build this ruined country. The government will do it to the extent of its power. Do not think that the government does not want to do it. The government is in the process of doing it; it is busy. The construction of houses has now begun all around Iran. Highway construction has also begun. But the vast country of Iran having no means, the way it ought to have, must necessarily be reconstructed gradually. It cannot be done at once. You think that once the Revolution has taken place, everything can be set right in one or two days, one or two months or one year. It cannot be done. If there was only one region, one place or ten places, it could have been said that well, the government could construct these ten places. But it is the whole country. They have taken away everything from this large, wide country leaving behind nothing in our hands. I should tell you that they (the authorities) are doing wonders in that they have been working so well in spite of all this. They are now engaged in the various facets of repairing the damage. They have started from those distant places lest the slum-dwellers remain here itself and do not return to their farming and the trades which they used to ply there.

In any case, all these matters that you mentioned are true. We are aware of these, but they are not specific to your places. The people who come here from Khouzestan say the same things as you. And they are right. The people coming here from all over the country mention these same issues. And what they say is correct. But they think that it is only their region that is like this. Many of them say that there is no place worse than theirs, whereas the brothers who come from other places also say the same thing! They are right; there is destruction everywhere. It is not question of being" worse than" somewhere else. The situation is bad everywhere.

It is not that the government is not thinking about the matter. We now have a government that is transitional and unsettled. We do not have a permanent one; it is an interim government. We must allow sometime for it to become a permanent one, the republic to be set up, an established government to take over, and subsequently, for a proper parliament to come into existence. Then we can think of these matters which would, of course, be easy with the enterprising people we have. It would then not be so important. These matters are nothing for you who overthrow that big power.

In any case, some time must be given at present. If something had been done for this regime, you would have been justified in saying that this regime has taken over and claims to be Islamic but is doing a lot of mischief. However, you have to give some time to a government that has come and inherited a country which they have completely robbed. That father (Rida Khan) took away Iran's jewels and its resources but fell foul of the British according to what was said. His son did the same thing. Their camp-followers filled the foreign banks with assets. And whatever they could not take there but were able to take from here, they took away. According to well informed sources, they have borrowed as much as possible from the banks and taken the money away. There remains a country that has nothing- such that it can[ ]now. It is not so that the coffers are full and that they have just left them and do not want to perform the tasks. The treasury is empty in relation to a government. You have to consider this. Therefore, some time must be allowed. And all the difficulties that you mention are real ones.

We know that the issues are ones which you mention. The remnants of the former regime that have remained, as well as the deviant persons who are being inspired from abroad, are creating mischief. We should now join hands and make efforts for the transfer of power from this provisional government; that is, for the country to have an established government. At present, we do have neither a president, nor a parliament. We need a parliament, we need a president. We do not have a constitution. A country's constitution, its president, its parliament, and its established government form the country's basis. We do not have any of these. Thanks to God that we have driven them out. But we do not have anything complete at present instead. Everything is in an unfinished state.

If you think that they now ought to deal with those people, for example, that you say must have their wings clipped it would be in a situation in which disturbances could arise. These are harmful for the country at this time in which calm is needed so that the country's work is set in motion. Supposing that by their making a lot of noise and preventing them, they want to deal severely with them, the result would be nothing but disturbances because of which we will not be able to set up a permanent government that we have in mind. We have to maintain some calm. You waited for fifty-odd years. Those who preceded you suffered all this repression and oppression throughout the period of the monarchy. Everything that you remember concerns these issues; the imprisonment, the troubles and such things. You have no alternative but to endure all this. Thanks to God that you are free now. Their power has gone; there is nobody to arrest and imprison you or to persecute you. Some of their remnants remain who think that they can fish in troubled waters. If the people- not only your tribesmen, but all those all over Iran- now want to embark on crushing the ones that are creating disturbances, it would lead to differences arising everywhere in Iran. They are aggravating the differences from that side as well. They are fanning the flames of discord even in Tehran. Much is the dissension that they have created. It is so in the other cities and among the tribes. The seditionists are occupied with their mischief in the other places in order to gain an opportunity to set off disturbances so that you will not be able to set the country right. While saying that you are troublemakers who cannot run the country and need someone to come and run it, they will bring in a bully once more and, by placing him here, restore the previous set-up. Some patience is required until a permanent government is established.

For your information, the officials of this interim government are busy day and night in making plans to carry out reforms, and are also looking into the condition of the people. But time is required. It is not that everything can be done all at once. A provincial government that is confronted with devastation on all sides cannot set everything right at short notice. It cannot. It is not that they (the officials) do not want to take corrective measures. They very much want to do so. They pray to God to help them in solving the problems within a few days. But the issues are such that they need time. When a part of a house needs to be repaired, it will take six months to do it, granted that everything else is all right. Otherwise, nobody can say how long it would take. The condition of the country is such; not only your regions, but everywhere. You see your own place; you see it beset with difficulties. The Bakhtiyaris also look at their own region, and the case is the same with those who come from all parts of Khorasan. They have only heard of the situation in the other places. But they have actually seen their own ones; they have seen them as they are. You have to wait a bit, sir. Creating differences at this time would be the very thing they want. The people, who do not want us to have a proper government, or an Islamic republic to become a reality, are the ones that are fanning the flames of discord. If we are to aggravate these differences and with them doing the same on that side and in the border regions, the country will eventually fall into utter confusion and you will not be able to manage it. The result would be the emergence of difficulties and much misery. Some patience is called for. You lack roads no doubt; it is clear. The troublemakers are there and everywhere. I am not aware whether or not you had public baths, hospitals and such things from before. You lack these even now. We are also aware of this. Do not think that they (the officials) do not want to take care of all this. They intend to, and God willing, it will be done. But patience- some revolutionary patience, as they say- is required. Some patience and endurance is required so that these tasks are gradually accomplished, God willing.

I ask God, the Blessed and Exalted, to give us- all of us- success in the cause of Islam and our country. It should be our aim to assist in building up this country. The sundry people that have remained from before and have no base among the people are not the ones who are capable of doing it. They will disappear at some time. The essential thing is for this government to be set up. We have to pass these stages in which we are at present. Our Constitution which must be attended to is being dealt with at the present time. After that, you will have to elect the people; you must elect them yourselves. The ones you elect should be learned, Islamic and committed to Islam. They must believe in the Islamic Republic and not be inclined to the left nor to the right. You will elect such people who are, no doubt, to be found among you, and send them to review the Constitution. Your fate is tied to the Constitution. Take a look at the Constitution. After it has been approved, the National Consultative Assembly should be set up, and after that the president [should be elected]. Then, all these tasks (of reconstruction) should be accomplished in all seriousness. They are busy now; do not imagine that they are not. They are busy. They are now engaged in building houses all over Iran and also in the purging operations which, God willing, is possible and will be carried out. They are also building roads. They are seized of all this and are busy. The task, however, is great. It concerns a whole country. It is not just a region which could be soon taken care of; it is a country which should be dealt with gradually.

May God grant success to all of you. May God assist you and may all of us strive for the sake of Islam, God willing, and carry out our tasks. And may we assist in the reconstruction of the country, and assist the government and Islam.