Iran Review

Emad Afrough
Director of Science & Religion Department
Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies  

Observing the law, like the law itself, is a bilateral right and if we want the law to be institutionalized it should be respected by both sides. You cannot tell one party to abide by the law without heeding different components of the law and treating it in a superficial manner.

The clear point here is that results for the 10th presidential polls were incompatible with expectations of certain groups of people.

Incompatibility between results and people’s expectations is a reality which has become manifest in various ways.

Those manifestations stemmed from a number of reasons. Perhaps, it was the first time that before announcing results for villages, towns, and small cities, the returns were announced at national level. If this had not happened and the result had not been announced in a hasty manner and candidates were given time to hand in their complaints and documents of possible fraud, the subsequent incidents could have been forestalled.

In fact, the past procedure was not observed and candidates were deprived of the opportunity to object. The subsequent incidents needed a special management and could not be treated through commands and injunctions.

That management has been clearly lacking. At first, there was a peaceful protest away from violence and, therefore, it did not lead to a rapid reaction from the Guardian Council which should have defined a special mission for the occasion.

In fact, complaints have been forwarded and the Guardian Council should justly, fairly, and accurately see into them and the result of its judgment should be made available to the public, especially the elite.

The council should be able to convince the public. In that case, the tension will abate; otherwise, it would be unbefitting for the Council to act with partiality.

Some may wonder whether I consider the Guardian Council just or not? They should note that it is the public mentality, rather than a personal judgment, which is at stake.
Some problems have added to ambiguities including support for a candidate from few councilors or their dislike for another. Therefore, prejudgments have taken shape as to the performance of the executive boards and some changes in government officials have favored those prejudgments. Therefore, we must do justice to people.

The Guardian Council should act meticulously. If not, the Supreme Leader should establish an arbitration council with members from legal and real entities who are known as impartial among people. This will prevent further turmoil.

If the second step is not taken, we may find our society in a third phase of civil resistance, which should be legal and, to some extent, negative without ending in physical confrontation. This requires logical steps to be taken by candidates, the elite as well as law enforcement officials.

If protestors seek to obtain permit for their gatherings, that permit should be given to them and security of demonstrations should be protected in order to separate legal protestors from rioters.

What has happened right now cannot be easily corrected. People have lost their trust and it can affect their future electoral turnouts. If they saw that legal officials are law-abiding, that trust might be restored, but if the law were administered unilaterally and with partiality, nobody could guarantee that the trust would be restored.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting shoulders a heavy responsibility because it seems to be the sole media which is spared of filtering. It, however, should act without partiality. It has acted partially for a while and that approach will further fan the flames of social turmoil.

The state television can placate angry people, just in the same way that it has acted to intensify reactions. For example, Ali Larijani and Mohsen Rezaei are interviewed and talk in a fair manner so as to reduce tensions. However, others who are interviewed by the TV do the opposite.

Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting should carefully choose its guests and give candidates an opportunity to talk. However, it is trying to prove that people’s protests are a form of “velvet revolution”.

Reference groups play a crucial role. In recent incidents, they ignored their true power and the importance of civil power although they have been frequently reminded about it.

Another point is that reference groups have put too emphasis on the official power and have greatly ignored their own civil power.

Their members have still time to get back to their selves and understand their historical and civil power. Religious seminaries, especially, can issue statements and hold gatherings, which will help reduce political and social tension. Of course, resorting citizenship rights should not lead to ignorance of national rights and carelessness for people’s opinions. People should not be called on to accept a death-like calm. The calm under the Islamic Republic of Iran is centered on law and nation’s rights.

Source: Hamshahri Newspaper
Translated By : Iran Review