Coordinated Cabinet
This time, the coordinated cabinet set aside its speech earlier than before and said it could not read from the script and wanted to honestly share what was in its heart. I cannot say what I do not believe in. I cannot read these writings. I must say what is in my heart and what I believe in.
Masoud Pezeshkian has become the president, but he still maintains his honesty and seeks the same national unity he spoke of during the debates.
He began his final defense before the parliamentarians while the night before, the Revolutionary Faction members in parliament had voted, and it was heard that four ministers—Abdolnaser Hemmati, Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, Ahmad Meidari, and Reza Salehi Amiri—had not received votes. These were decisive and breath-taking moments for the current government, and Pezeshkian had to convince the parliamentarians with his final defense to vote for all the proposed candidates.
As long as he was speaking from the written notes handed to him, he was uncomfortable. But he set the notes aside and spoke his heart to the representatives, extending a hand for help to them.
Most of the representatives shook his hand so that the fundamentalists in parliament would fail.
Vote so we can form the government.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president, appeared in the open session of parliament yesterday afternoon after reviewing the proposed cabinet and said in his final defense of the proposed ministers of the fourteenth government: I thank the presiding board and the parliamentarians for speaking in critique or support of the ministers and for your hard work during this period.
What we need today and at this juncture is unity, cohesion, and internal solidarity.
Certainly, the meaning of unity and cohesion is not to abandon our tastes and beliefs.
Regarding the general policy outlook and the program law, we should reach a common language and perspective, and we cannot impose our tastes there.
He added, with the ministers I introduced, we pledged to unite on the outlook and policies and strive to implement them. We hope to have this covenant with you as well and ask you to evaluate us based on this framework.
I return to my belief and conviction; the pledge we made was to come with unity. These dear ones are a testament to my commitment and adherence to that pledge.
The proposed ministers are a collection of different tastes and factions.
But in essence, we share the same outlook and general policies and program law, and we are committed to implementing them.
We promise and will stand by our promise. We promised to interact with you.
We will certainly interact with you and strive to work with your consultation, experts, and specialists to implement the law.
The president emphasized that when a pledge is made, it is two-sided. He stressed, ‘We stand firm; help us to continue working on these principles. Let different tastes work together within this framework.’
If we are to make a pledge and you consider the past, we must argue. Let us make a brotherhood pledge; our unity and cohesion are more important than prayer and fasting. We pray for unity, and prayer is established. We must all pledge together and hold on to the divine rope.
Be assured that we all have faults and shortcomings. If criticism is to be made, none of us will back down.
Imam Ali (AS) says in Nahj al-Balagha that in the presence of a true pious person, the cultivation and yield of a society do not perish.
The farm of society does not dry up in the presence of the pious.
Society has problems; poverty, theft, discrimination, and injustice exist. Go hide in the houses and resolve your differences. If any of us have the skill, let us focus on our own faults before addressing others’. Resolving differences is not about condemning the other side; we cannot say that the other side is entirely wrong. Unity cannot be achieved this way.
He added, ‘I must criticize myself for why problems arose in my presence at the university and hospital. We are the problem.’
If we join hands, we can restore power and dignity to the country.
In the fronts, there were neither ranks nor titles nor our disputes. The competition was for fighting, martyrdom, sacrifice, and selflessness.
We want the problem to be solved. We must compete in solving the economic crisis, not destroy each other and taunt.
Our salvation lies in unity, cohesion, consensus, and empathy.
The president, pointing out that ‘we place your opinion above our own,’ stated, ‘However, consensus and empathy must be shaped with our view.’
Tomorrow, in management and execution, as a responsible person, I can choose not to take others’ opinions because it is my authority, and I can decide.
But I say I will not decide alone and will consult with you and consider your opinions in my decisions.
I will decide based on merit, competence, and justice. If we are together, we can solve the problem.
If you do your work and we do ours, I doubt we will emerge from the crises.
Pezeshkian emphasized, ‘You know that we did not choose gentlemen Araghchi, Nasirzadeh, Kazemi, Khatib, Momeni, and Simaii Sarraf without coordination.’
We coordinated below with the committees and above with those who needed coordination. It is impossible for us to introduce someone to you to create confrontation.
I came with all my being with unity, consensus, and cohesion. You saw the background and knowledge of gentlemen Paknejad, Hashemi, Atabak, and Mrs. Farzaneh Saadegh Malvajerd.
They had both knowledge and experience. We progressed based on expertise as far as possible. I had ideals in mind, but when there was no agreement, I set them aside.
For me, agreement is more ideal. I compromised and will compromise for consensus. I did not compromise because the introduced individuals are one hundred percent the best, but we had the most agreement with them.
We agreed with the security organizations, the IRGC, intelligence, and the organizations we needed to agree with, and we presented this list to the parliament. The backgrounds of gentlemen Donyamali, Nouri Qezeljeh, and Aliabadi are also clear.
Good or bad, we chose two people from the parliament. I am also a parliamentarian and have been with you for four terms, and I believe we must agree with you.
I am not making slogans. Up to this point, I have come with consensus and empathy with you. There is no doubt about the expertise and proficiency of gentlemen Zafarqandi, Meidari, Hemmati, and Salehi Amiri.
Trust us; it is not that someone with a direction against leadership will come, and I will get along with them. I have always defended leadership.
I will not back down. Who said they are against leadership? Why do we want to forcibly remove someone who is with us from the ship? All health ministers, left and right, have endorsed Mr. Zafarqandi. He has something to say in this field, and so do I.
He pointed out that you know I was rejected and not qualified for candidacy for representation, saying, ‘When the view is closed, this is what happens, while I believe in the system and leadership with all my being. I am here to solve the people’s problems. I do not stand against the people.’
I agree with you to solve the people’s problems. I am not saying this because of the current situation. I cannot say what I do not believe in.
I cannot read these writings. I must say what is in my heart and what I believe in.
These words of Pezeshkian resonated with the representatives, and they applauded him. After that, the president continued, ‘Mr. Meidari knows the economy of this story. He is outstanding in social security from a scientific and expert point of view.’
We want to reach the deprived and solve their problems. Help us.
As an Iranian, I cannot accept that people grow across the water and Iranians look across the water with envy. We have nothing less than across the water. We must stop these useless quarrels and unite and take an oath on the outlook.
He pointed out that wherever we made mistakes, say it brotherly. Emphasizing, ‘Do not think we want to betray.’
By God, we want to serve the people. Brothers and sisters, I humbly request that you do not disrupt this consensus and unity in our team.
I do not claim to be faultless. Is it possible for a person not to have faults? In any case, we had to coordinate ourselves in this system to have a common language.
Help us be together, and we promise to serve you and the people and offer whatever we can with sincerity as long as we have life.
Pezeshkian added, ‘All these dear ones are experts, elites, and experienced, and none of them are newcomers to the field.’
Our problem is in a common language, and this common language is our outlook and program law.
Gentlemen Hemmati and Salehi Amiri have experience in the economy, insurance, and banking and in the university.
Mr. Donyamali, who is one of our own, needs no mention. I coordinated all this information above, meaning we agreed together.
I am not saying we are faultless. These are not unknown people.
We may be somewhat weak, but if we have cohesion and unity and bring the elites into the field, there is no problem we cannot solve. The whole world supported Iraq in the war with Iran.
You all know we had nothing, but we had a belief and conviction, and we won. Today, the war we have is worse than the Iraq war, and we must join hands.
The past is past; let it go. Accept the past. I want to become your brother. I accept that you are my sisters and brothers, and with all my being, we will serve the people together.
Help ensure that with a vote of confidence, this unity and cohesion are not lost and, despite all the faults, are not disrupted.
We are with you and feel no pride or arrogance. We see ourselves as servants of the people. The Minister of Culture did not come; the leadership ordered him to come.
Why do you force me to say these things? I spoke with him, but he said no. I went to the leadership and said this is the list.
I said that he did not come. Right there, he picked up the phone and said, ‘Get up and come.’ I want to say we coordinated and came here; accept this from us.
He emphasized that Mrs. Saadegh Malvajerd was actually suggested by the leadership to come. Why do you force me to say things I should not?
We brought all these dear ones here with coordination and agreement. We did not include anyone in the list about whom there was the slightest doubt. Mr. Atabak made a list and brought it.
We saw he was in the Foundation of the Oppressed and in the economy. People should be known in the field of action. The work he has done in the industry is not hidden from anyone.
For 40 years, we have wanted to establish justice and fairness, but we argue. It is this ego that does not allow it.
It is this self that does not let me be with you, and my self does not let you be with me. Let’s join hands for Iran and for the people.
Mr. Araghchi was the first person whom the leadership accepted. Before we mentioned the ministers’ names, the leadership accepted him and said he was good.
Do not let me go into details. Vote so we can form the government.