Oct 05 2020

To see how discredited Iran’s president has become, it is enough just to have a look at the editorial of the state-run daily Asr-e Iran: “Rouhani has given up!”, and an MP crying in the Parliament [Majlis]: “People say God damn Rouhani.”

Hassan Rouhani as the regime’s president when he wants to show the root of all the problems points to the U.S. and the sanctions, addressing the ‘White House’. But when the people want to express their anger and fury because of the disastrous livelihood conditions they are addressing the regime, especially its president.

“The Diplomat Sheikh is very tired. Tired of the conditions of the country and while knocking on every door in the hope to open the lock but is facing all the time the same problems and deadlocks. Hassan Rouhani has reached the stage of helplessness and knows that the people are disappointed with him and his government. The government that came to power under the name of Omid [Hope in Persian] has now become a symbol of despair in the country. Rouhani’s career can be interpreted as he has given up and waits for the end of the bitter period of his second term in office.” (Akhbar Sanat website, 29 September)

While Rouhani tried to address all the regime’s problems to the White House, but the state-run media Etemad criticized him and wrote: “First, not all problems are related to the White House. The serious and lasting part of the problems is rooted in our inner workings. (Second) If we hold the U.S. government responsible for the situation, we have disqualified ourselves.” (Etemad daily, 29 September)

The theory that Rouhani and his gang had no route plan from day one, and only have relied on the international nuclear deal, known by the acronyms JCPOA, and hoped for negotiations and of course, appeasement is becoming a general consensus inside the regime.

In between all the disputes in the government, everyone is trying to give a plan to release the regime and its government from this deadlock. One of these plans was the plan of the MPs, supporters of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf the speaker of the parliament. The plan which they have put on the government’s table imposes staggering costs on it. Providing basic goods for 60 million people is not the job of any government.

A government whose negative economic growth is a lesson for underdeveloped countries, whose liquidity and inflation rate are approaching extraterrestrial orbits, and whose recession and unemployment are out of everyone’s hands.

Interestingly, is that corrupted officials of the regime are chanting slogans in the support of the poor people, those who have turned their true nature by receiving a 6-billion-rial [$20,000] Dena Plus car, a 2 billion rials [$6,666] rent loan, and a flu vaccine, while the people are deprived of all of this.

Do these MPs think that a government that is drowning in crisis and is facing a budget deficit of more than 1.5 quadrillion rials [$5 million] and borrows from banks to pay the salaries of its employees can finance the expenses of these projects?

Where did the plan come from? Haji Babaei, the head of the parliamentary program and budget commission and one of the founders of this plan, says: “It is planned to charge 1.2 rials [$4] per person per month, i.e. 6 million rials [$20] for a family of five, which will be free for 20 million people and the remaining 40 million people will be paying 50 percent. (Khane-e-Melat – ICANA website, 28 September)

Ali Marvi, a government economist, says: “The plan to supply basic goods is unfortunately on the same path as ‘Venezuelanizing Iran’s economy.’ Even if the allocation of costs related to semi-finished construction projects (paragraph b) is zero, this project will increase the budget deficit by 40 trillion tomans. Because the resource side is practically fake. It should be noted that the government had already spent 300-400 trillion rials [$1-1.333 billion] (with a plan to equalize pensions) based on the same fake resources. Some 400-trillion-rial [$1.333 billion] budget deficit in these conditions means a 400-trillion-rial [$1.333 billion] increase in the monetary base and that means between 12-16 percent increase in the inflation rate. (Aftab-e Yazd daily, 29 September)

Despite all these clashes between the corrupt factions in Iran, the main problem remains. The crisis of livelihood and, in fact, the extreme hunger and poverty of millions of Iranians.

And the MPs reacted to it with eloquent words such as ‘due to some mismanagement, the people’s table has become smaller than before’ or ‘in recent times, the government has not been able to stabilize the livelihood and needs of the people to the point that their peace has been lost.’ Worthless statements with which no problem will be unknotted.

For example, the chairman of the parliament’s internal affairs commission admits: “Continuing unfavorable economic situation that has led to major problems in people’s livelihoods and the devaluation of the national currency … especially in a situation where the government has lost control of affairs in many economic areas and has virtually no control over the market.” (Tasnim news agency affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force, 28 September)

One of the MPs about the high costs said: “Every day, prices hourly and cars secondly are becoming more expensive and people’s tables are getting smaller. The government not only does not pay attention to the needy and the lower deciles of the society but also does not provide a decent living for the people. On the other hand, it has no plan to control the market of petrochemical and steel products whose production cycle is not related to foreign currency, and unfortunately, mafia gangs and brokers set their prices in the market. The government must state the reason for the unreasonable increase in the prices of dairy products, home appliances, and cars, and what plans it has to curb this situation.” (Tasnim news agency, 28 September)

The poverty line, which was announced at 8 million Tomans for a family of four in May last year, has now reached 90 million rials [$300] for a family [of four people] and is now exceeding 100 million rials [$333], according to reports published in May 2020.

By optimistically receiving a monthly salary of 3 million rials [$100], it can be easily proven that workers and their families are in absolute poverty. While the economic growth of the 2000s was about zero and the average inflation in this decade was estimated at about 23 percent.

However, one of the MPs has raised the impudence to its highest level and said: “I am sure that we will overcome this crisis, God willing, provided that all people, including the workers, have a little patience. This coronavirus situation has shrunk the economy of the whole world, so we should not expect everything to go well.” (Aftab-e Yazd daily, 29 September)

Source » irannewsupdate

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