Speech [Reasons for presence of people in the revolution - responsibility of officials in serving people]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

In this" Government's Week" we have had bitter and sweet experiences. The bitter ones are due to the loss of some committed people, of whom one was the late `Araqi «1» martyred just before this week. I knew the late Araqi from the beginning when the movement was launched. He had contacts with us. He was, to be honest, a man who devoted his life to serving Islam. This week we lost the late" Raja'i" «2» whom everybody knows was so committed and dedicated to serve Islam. He was actually a morality teacher in practice. So was Mr. Bahonar «3» who was a committed scholar and teacher. This is a cause of great sorrow and grief for you and us. This is bitter of course, but we have had many of other such cases during this period. In this span of time, we had sweet experiences as well. Thank God, in this week that is the Government's Week and should be truly counted as Government's Week, the government and its affiliates including the army and Sepah have found their foothold in the world. That is to say, today the world reckons with the Islamic Republic, the president of this country, the Majlis and all other organizations. Those lying in ambush hoped to see discord in the ranks of officials, to see people on bad terms with the government, and to see the story of revolution wrapped up in couple of months. Based on this assumption Saddam was deceived. It is now for several years that they are still waiting in foreign countries for certain people to work for them and then they themselves come and reap the fruit.

Thank God, today the government has been established and our country is a secure, independent, and free country. I hope that it will proceed ever more towards independence, freedom and other improvements.

The important question is what I have pointed out repeatedly. The point is that since the republic is Islamic and the nation is Islamic and Muslim, as long as the government, president, Majlis Speaker, judiciary, army, pasdar and all others are the path of Islam, this Islamic country sides with them. Essentially, the revolution gained victory due to Islamic nature of the movement. Do not think that if another motivation had been presented to people to the nation, the people would get together. The people are Muslim. When Islam was put forward, all clerics or most of the clerics and most of those who were at work made publicity, and brought the people to the scene. People openly embraced the offer, and up to now, all sacrifices are for Islam not for other considerations. The nationality issue is also important, but no so that the gentlemen imagine that we should stress nationality and have nothing to do with Islam, primarily being nationalist and then Islamic. Not at all! The Islamic nature pushed people to offer their youths and cry for war. There is nothing else except this.

I have repeated frequently and will reiterate that you should serve people who cut the hands of criminals and put this trust under your care. You have now received a great trust from this nation. The responsibility to keep this trust requires you to keep it safe and hand it over to the next generations and governments. As long as you act accordingly, the nation will support you and as long as people back you, no harm will come on you and the country.

One of the factors giving rise to dictatorship is as they see that people are not in tune with them, they try to exercise arbitrary power. This is one of the reasons. There are others as well. If people are in tune with governments, there appears to be no ground to overbear their people. They rather get prepared to defend those attacking them. When the nation is separate from the government and the government wants to use the nation and milk the nation, dictatorship emerges. In these, former monarchical regimes people escaped from the government, the rulers wanted to keep them by force and exploit them, and this way the dictatorship emerged. The king was a dictator and, let I tell you, so were the governors, the general governors, the police officers all of the army- all were the same. They saw people were not in tune with them and they wanted to exploit the people the main issue was exploiting people, no human motives were at work, they wanted to exploit, so these motives would lead to dictatorship, to harassing people. The days when you feel you want to exert pressure on people know you are turning into dictators. Know that people will definitely turn their back on you. As long as people help you, you are victorious. If people were not involved, you could not handle the war. No doubt! People managed it. Sepah is from people, Basij is from people and today's army is from people. If the former army were involved, as Saddam had imagined, his imagination would find reality. The army then did not have an Islamic incentive; their incentive was personal interest. As soon as they entered, this army would surrender. Well, we saw in the past, when the world war broke out, the allies wanted to cross our country without getting us entangled in the war. As soon as they crossed the border, all the army and gendarmerie forces escaped. In Tehran, I witnessed that these field marshals and their likes were packing their bags and fled from Tehran. Where did they want to go, I don't know? I saw the soldiers leaving the barracks were in search of something to eat. This state of affairs was because people did not accompany the government. People were grateful that with their coming here Rida Khan left. We witnessed this reality. They thank God for its grace that aliens- those aliens from Russia, from the US and from the England had come here and Pahlavi left. This was the situation. As you saw when Muhammad-Rida left, people took to the streets and held those celebrations. The monarchists living abroad said last night that the entire Iran are monarchist and that His Excellency Rida the second is so popular that people are all siding with him! Let them say so. I believe that these wily people have come together around this child to relieve him of his money. They want the money, which his father stole from the people and deposited to the account of this boy, they use such tricks to take his money then let him go after his business. I deem it advisable for him to go after education and business. He should know that the time is over for such things. Even if there is not the Islamic Republic, people will not favor monarchy. There is no doubt in it.

Anyhow, the important thing for you is to serve all classes, particularly the oppressed and deprived people who have been in the course of our history. You should serve them and tell them your services. Your words should be followed by action. If this is your incentive, you will be successful. If you serve this nation, the people will accompany you. Then, no grounds for dictatorship emerges you are not like profiteers who want to own gardens and villages. You are not the type of people who want to possess everything and cannot be so. If you want to build an extra house all start to criticize you, and you will receive many objections from people. Of course, you are not this sort of people and you cannot be like this. As long as you are popular, people will follow you and when people follow you, there will be no harm.

My second recommendation is that the ministers and the government officials should treat each other in a brotherly manner. You want to serve Islam; you do not want to serve yourselves. You want to serve the people who have suffered deprivation in the course of history. You do not want to fill your own pockets. You are never like this. When this mentality develops, there will be no pretext for you to conflict and contend. God willing, you will not do so. I do not say you are conflicting be cause the opponents may pounce on it and say that you are controlling each other. Not at all, This is not the case. It is just advice, although I know none of you is like this. I hope that God will protect you and you will be successful in your work. I know some of the ministers who have resigned very well. For example; Mr. `Asgar Awladi, who accompanied the revolution from the outset and suffered great trouble as did the late `Araqi, I regard him as a very pious and devoted man. I came to know some of the gentlemen in the course of the republic such as the labour minister whom I know to be a plow man as I have realized in the course of his tenure. This is one the requirement of righteousness. When one notices that there is no concord between him and the government, he should quit the position, get another one and let the government act as it wishes. Thank God, the government tends to improve the situation, and control prices especially price of foodstuffs, as expensive foodstuffs can cause problem for people and are a source of wary. There are inconveniences. Of course, discomfort comes from the upper class. Those who are not worried about prices convey this idea to people that prices are not reasonable and there should be such and such. In any case, I hope this problem will be settled. The problem of war is almost resolved and expectantly will get better. I hope you will be successful in all aspects. Always direct your attention towards God. In private and open God is with you and watches your deeds. Moreover, the angels of God also oversee you. God Almighty is omnipresent. That which is hidden to even the angels of God is open to God. Your unseen secrets are revealed to Him. Everything is under His watch. Tomorrow you will be called to account for whatever you have done. I hope that you will be prompt to render the accounts. I wish the letter of our deeds would be given to our right hand. I hope you will be successful and confirmed.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you!