Rouhani Administration’s Accomplishments and Failings

Those who are not in favor of Hassan Rouhani’s administration and remain pessimistic about its accomplishments criticized me last week for making premature judgments over three events. May be they are right because in politics, just like in a game of football, the last minutes of a game can be overturning.

In response to the three positive developments that made me happy on Saturday, they pointed to three negative events that at the least neutralized the positive accomplishments, if not negated them altogether.

My three progressive events were, a court’s reversal to reinstate Nasrin Sotudeh’s license to practice law, the holding of the general assembly meeting of Iran’s writers guild after a twelve-year ban, and, the undisturbed gathering of the 1988 victims buried in Khavaran cemetery.

Their three negative events were, the reticence over the political prisoners and particularly the leaders of the Green Movement who are under house arrest, the expansion of pressure on the ministry of science following the removal of cabinet minister Faraji Dana and resignations of the ministry advisors, and, the clear retreat by the ministry of Islamic guidance in the face of pressures from intelligence agencies over the fate of banned writers.

My argument with my friends is that while the negative issues that they have raised are valid, one should not be focusing on the half empty part of a glass. If one adopts the pessimistic view, then we need to follow up by announcing defeat and withdraw ourselves from the political field. For the past year you – the pessimists – have been trying to prove that legal and peaceful methods in politics have run their course and that now is the time to change course in the direction of the dangerous tools of physical confrontation, regime overthrow and revolution.

My concluding perspective is that the current approach is reversible and that it is future developments that will illuminate the long term effects of today’s political events in the country. This includes the upcoming two elections. We must remember that “The Past is the Light for the Future” (a reference to a classic political-historic book on Iran) so if we pin all our hopes in the government and relegate our work to beating the pessimistic drum, then we need to simply abandon all political activity. In that case, even if we manage to leave the country, we should support the domestic team and consequently prepare the grounds for greater victory for the hardliners, who if given the chance will be no less violent than ISIS.

Bu have we already forgotten the conditions that prevailed during Ahmadinejad’s period?

Rooz online