Family Appointments Cause Trouble for Raisi
Family appointments cause trouble for Raisi: the arrest of the advisor to the Minister of Roads and the Director General of Security at the Ministry of Agriculture, both on financial charges. The government, which claimed meritocracy, quickly became embroiled in controversy, from family appointments at the start of its term to news of the arrest of ministers’ associates on financial charges.
Last week, news broke of the arrest of Ghasem Makarem Shirazi, deputy to Rostam Ghasemi, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, and even Ghasemi’s second wife. The matter even reached rumors of his dismissal. Now, a member of parliament reports other issues in the Ministry of Agriculture, a ministry that recently received a yellow card from parliament.
From the beginning, Raisi’s government denied family appointments within its ranks. At that time, it was predictable that these appointments would lead to corruption and controversy, affecting the government. Ironically, Raisi himself admitted in November last year, coinciding with the news of family appointments, that one of the causes of corruption is the employment of human resources. Therefore, recruitment should focus solely on efficiency and legal and religious qualifications, and we should emphasize to our colleagues to avoid hiring individuals merely based on acquaintance and friendship without considering merit.
He also said colleagues should be sensitive to the issue of corruption and its potential points of emergence, and be careful in selecting honest and competent colleagues. In this government, selecting individuals solely based on connections is unacceptable.
Anti-Revolutionary Design
But just a few months later, he denied any family appointments in the cabinet and, regarding criticisms of family appointments in the government, stated: In response to some people’s criticisms about family appointments, I said, ‘Introduce five of these cases for me to investigate.’ They said the media reported this, and we said, ‘Compare our government with previous ones. One of our strengths is that we didn’t have family appointments. There are many opportunities, and wherever I look, I feel there are openings.’
Or he called it a fabrication, saying: ‘In places where there is a fabrication about appointments, if these fabrications are incorrect, defend your performance. But be aware that meritocracy in the thirteenth government is not just a slogan; it is the foundation and basis of work. If criticisms of your performance or appointment are valid, you must quickly correct them.’ When the media published a table of family appointments in the thirteenth government, supportive media denied it and wrote that the table of family appointments published in the name of Raisi’s government is false.
Fars News Agency also reported that the discussion of family appointments was an anti-revolutionary design. The anti-revolution has designed a game to establish a mega-narrative in the audience’s mind. The mega-narrative is that being a relative of an official in the Islamic Republic of Iran is inherently discrediting. Whether this person has a government job or a private one, they are condemned for being related to an official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and this family relationship, regardless of whether it provides them with undue advantage or profit, becomes a negative label.
They are always accused of either being appointed through family connections or having secured a private job through family connections. This is the main goal, but another goal is to reduce the current government’s social capital to hinder its mobility.
Deviations in the Ministry of Agriculture
Ahmad Safaei Delouei, representative of Gonabad and member of the Economic Commission of Parliament, told Rouydad 24 that in 1848, about 174 years ago, the late Amir Kabir emphasized that the country cannot be run based on recommendations from aunts and uncles. Unfortunately, this is a longstanding tradition in our country, leading to family appointments. Unfortunately, Mr. Sadati Nejad appointed his brother-in-law, Mr. Nasiri, as Director General of Security at the Ministry of Agriculture, even though he had not previously worked at this level.
He said, ‘I also told this issue to the Minister of Intelligence. When such an appointment is made, it means any deviation in the system is glossed over. Over the past year, we have witnessed deviations in the activities of the Ministry of Agriculture, including multiple violations in the field of this ministry’s work, such as fictitious customs entries in the marketplace system, which were selected without a tender and highlighted in the national broadcaster, gaining added value.’
Recently, news arrived that some deputies were detained for a while, and one person who intended to expose the situation was dismissed. Someone with a Ph.D. in Geography was sent to UNESCO, unrelated to their expertise, meaning they were given a favor to remain silent. Additionally, a while ago, another brother-in-law of the minister was arrested for financial issues.
The Deaf Ear of the Government
Representatives who wrote letters and requested Raisi to run for the presidency did not imagine that less than two years later, they would witness such events. To the extent that the same recent representative said these are corruptions we did not expect in Mr. Raisi’s people’s government, and we expect the President to address them seriously, without consideration or hesitation, and in a fair and just manner. We hope now that the judiciary has entered these corruptions, it will fulfill its mission in this regard.
Last November, Izadkhah, a representative from Tehran who joined the critics of family appointments in the government, told Raisi, ‘The argument sometimes heard that a manager is appointed from relatives and family because of trust is fundamentally wrong. Here, two questions arise: Firstly, how many trustworthy relatives do you have to fill all positions in the system? And secondly, how do you know your relatives are trustworthy and the relatives of another manager are not?’
Here, the issue of kinship is a fundamentally wrong basis, and if someone in the past established this basis, it was wrong and should not continue. However, it seems there is no receptive ear in the government, even for its allies and supporters.
