Leader’s guidelines for nation’s continued progress in the year 1398 (3)

Here is the third and concluding part of the New Year Speech of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, delivered at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad on March 21, the first and second of which were presented to you yesterday and the day before yesterday.

Now we have Leader’s guidelines, including those related to economy, as were outlined yesterday as well.

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “Some executive organizations have performed well. Some people think that no tasks have been carried out. This is not the case. Some executive organizations have performed well in different areas including in the area of agriculture, water, soil and areas related to developing underprivileged regions and infrastructural tasks. Of course, in some areas too, this is not the case. There is lack of energy and negligence in some areas. Sometimes, tasks are carried out with delay.

“In a letter which I think was written to me in some four years ago, a high-ranking official said a bill was being prepared for reforming banking transactions and the banking system in general – one of our economic problems is the problem related to the banking system – and he said that the bill would be examined by the Majlis a few months later. However, they have reported to me that after the passage of four years, that bill has not yet come before the Majlis. Well, this is a long delay and holdup!

“The units that have performed well should be rewarded and encouraged and the units that have delayed work should be warned. I myself have issued warnings in this regard. I say these things in public and among the people only when I have already discussed them in private with the gentlemen themselves. These issues should become an inseparable part of public opinion and they should turn into a public demand.

“Production should be supported. We named this year, “The Year of Boosting Production”. Last year, when I brought up the issue of supporting Iranian products, a good movement was launched. The people and some producers gave it a good reception. I have been informed that when the people – the majority of the people - go to different stores, they ask for Iranian goods and products. When the salespeople bring their foreign counterparts, they do not accept it. This means progress. However, I cannot claim that the slogan was completely acted on. The reports do not confirm this. Therefore, the slogan of supporting Iranian products continues to be equally important, but the main and the most important issue is to boost production.

“If production is boosted, then there will be a huge transformation in different areas. If production is boosted, it influences employment and inflation, it affects the balance of the budget and it helps increase the value of the national currency. Notice that all these are our important economic problems. Experts and those who are well-informed about economic matters confirm that if production is boosted in the country, there will certainly be such advantages and results. This should be accomplished and it should be included in the agenda: both in the agenda of the administration and the Majlis, and in the agenda of those who have the capability to enter the arena of production.”

The Leader noted: “We know certain individuals who had money and resources, who could have deposited money in banks and benefitted from the interest without any trouble for many years, but they did not do so, and instead invested it into production, saying they want to help the country move forward. Such people will indeed be rewarded by God!

“Thus, producers, investors and economic activists – honest and sincere economic activists – should be assisted. Those who generate wealth for the country should be assisted. There should be an endeavor to improve the business environment. This should be done with necessary laws, methods and procedures.

“Another condition is that we should be wary of those who exploit the situation. Some individuals did exploit the situation and continue to do so. Opportunists exist and there are different types of them. Just as Iranian creativity and the innovative Iranian mind can be utilized in good ways, it can also do mischief from time to time. One witnesses mind-boggling methods of exploitation as is evident in reports. Well, officials should be careful. The executive branch, the judiciary branch and other supervisory organizations should watch over the matter.

“I discussed the matter with the honourable President. He said in one of his public speeches that they want to sell such and such a factory. I said to him that they should be careful because some people buy the factory from you not with the purpose of continuing the work and boosting production, rather they buy it in order to sell the machinery, fire the workers and turn the land into a skyscraper! One should be wary of such individuals. One should be wary of such opportunists.

“Some people take advantage of the law to establish banks – one of the wrong measures adopted in the country was to allow people to set up banks one after another – and then, they collect the people’s money, set up fake companies, give the people’s money to their own companies as loans and banking facilities and thus fill their own pockets. We should be careful of such people and we should not ignore them.

“If they are prevented from doing these things and if we support honest entrepreneurs instead and boost production, then the problem of unemployment will be solved on the basis of what experts say. The problem of inflation, poverty of the underprivileged classes, the banking system and the value of national money and even the issue of the administration’s budget deficit will be resolved through a boost in production. And when I speak about production, I do not only mean industrial production. Industrial and agricultural production, stockbreeding, developing large, medium-sized and small industries and even developing handicrafts, home-made products and animal husbandry – breeding livestock in villages – will greatly help the expansion of public welfare in societies. They should plan for such tasks. Of course, knowledge-based companies play a big part in this regard. They should receive due attention.”

Ayatollah Khamenei made it clear that: “Unnecessary imports should be stopped. One of the important areas and articles of the economy of resistance – which I brought up and which is being discussed at length and clarified by others including the officials in the government and other individuals – is the issue of domestic production. And the condition for boosting domestic production is curbing unnecessary imports. They have reported to me that they are doing such and such things for the economy of resistance and that they have prepared such and such plans. Very well, surely these reports are compatible with reality. In other words, they have really done these things, however they have not showed themselves in reality.

“The reason is the existence of imports. One witnesses that the market is full of imports. This will lead to the failure of domestic production! They import those goods which are produced inside the country. This will cause domestic production to fail. Officials should prevent this. These are important matters. If this happens, the economy of resistance will be implemented in the true sense of the word.

“To sum up, I stress that government organizations should focus on boosting production this year. If there is a need for certain laws, they should ask the Legislature to take action. If there is a need for the presence of the Judiciary and other supervisory organizations, they should ask them to take action and to cooperate – they gather in the meeting that I mentioned: the meeting between the heads of the three branches of government. Production should be boosted no matter what! This was the third issue.

“My last point today is addressed to the youth. It is actually addressed to all the people, but particularly to the youth. First of all, I want to mention that the response to my statement on the Second Phase of the Revolution – the statement on the occasion of the 40th year of the Revolution – given by people of different social backgrounds including academics, the masses of youth, students, seminarians, the clergy and others was a very appropriate and gladdening response. This shows that there is a need for elucidation and that the level of preparedness throughout the country, particularly among youth, is good. The officials of the country should make the most of this preparedness. What I want to say to the youth is that they should shoulder both small and big responsibilities. This is the remedy for the country’s problems.”

According to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution: “In the second phase of the Revolution we should place progress on the shoulders of the youth. In the first phase of the Revolution, it was Imam Khomeini who guided the people, though it were the youth who launched the movement and turned on the engine of progress. Today, your efforts are focused on ensuring the country’s independence and dignity. The cost borne by the Iranian nation and our youth is for the purpose of achieving complete independence – in all areas – national dignity and the dignity of the Islamic Ummah.

“Future generations will benefit from your achievements. In the past too, the youth accepted to pay the price for campaigning against the Pahlavi regime by going to prison and suffering torture, until the Revolution thankfully achieved victory and the regime was overthrown. Or during the imposed war, families shouldered responsibility for defending the country. So today, you are living your life with complete security. Today too, you should shoulder responsibility for standing up against the enemy so that future generations will benefit from your achievements.

“The main point that I want to raise is that what should happen in the second phase of the Revolution is primarily gaining a serious understanding about our assets. We should know what assets we have and we should take them seriously. We should know our advantages and capacities and those of the country in all earnest. We should utilize them and benefit from them. The country has extensive capacities. Secondly, we should identify diseases and pests. We should identify the ways that the enemies use to penetrate and we should stand up against them in a serious manner.

“Today, the second phase of the Revolution is this: identifying capacities and assets and benefiting from them. Similarly, we should identify maladies, rifts, shortcomings and setbacks and we should roll up our sleeves to solve them.”

Ayatollah Khamenei cautioned: “You should know that the West and the US have reached the conclusion that if the Iranian nation wills something, it will definitely achieve it! They have reached the conclusion that they cannot fight against the national willpower of the people of Iran. They know that creating obstacles and mischief is of no avail. So, what should they do? They have reached the conclusion that they should do something to undermine and weaken the willpower of the Iranians.

“Today, billions of dollars are being spent around the world to create a rift in the political and religious beliefs of our youth with the purpose of destroying their resolve to move and to rise. They want to destroy our willpower. They want to prevent you from making a decision. Their effort is focused on preventing the willpower of the Iranian nation from being shaped in the direction of progress, confrontation against the enemies and the establishment of the ideal Islamic society and Islamic civilization. They know that if this willpower is solidified, it will certainly achieve its goals.

“Of course, they did these things in the past as well – many years ago. During the Pahlavi regime, they used to promote the idea among the youth of Iran that if you want to achieve civilization and progress, you should put aside religion. They would say that religion, piety and faith are not compatible with science, progress and the like. Today, they should open their blind eyes and see that our best, our greatest and our most advanced industries – we are at the top of the list in these industries and competing with top-tier countries in the world – are being developed by youth who recite the famous Kumayl Supplication on Thursday evenings, who perform the late night ‘Tahajjud’ prayers, who are pious and observe the E’tekaf – in the months of Rajab and Ramadhan for self-reform and proximity to God Almighty – and who on Friday mornings recite the Nudbah Supplication – for reappearance of Imam Mahdi and the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out: “We are top of the table in advanced industries in today’s world: in nanotechnology, in nuclear technology, in missile-related technologies, in biotechnology and other advanced technologies in the world. We are on the frontline of such technologies.

“The main people who do these tasks are our pious youth, some of whom I know closely. The youth should increase their efforts in the arena of science, intellectuality, politics and hard work. They should avoid trivial and unimportant matters, or matters which lead to discord. They should instead pursue unity, focus on creative and constructive works and engage in jihadi endeavours on the basis of piety. They should be alert to our borderlines with the enemy in the areas which were discussed today. They should not create rifts with insiders and with domestic forces because of slight differences of opinion.

“As the Late Imam (Khomeini) used to say, they should vent all their cries on the enemies and on the US! The Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary, as well as other organs should help youth as much as they can in order to achieve progress. And I will tell you – as I have told you many times – that by Allah’s favour and grace, the future of the country will be very much better than our present-day condition!

“O God! By the sanctity of Prophet Mohammad and his Blessed Household, help us achieve what we said and what we do in order to serve You and Your cause, and accept our humble endeavours by making us the real soldiers of Islam and true mujahids on the path of the truth.

“Our salutations to the Imam of the Age (May God hasten his reappearance), and may God bless the purified souls of the martyrs and the immaculate soul of our Late Imam (Khomeini).”

AS/ME