While it is true that the president represents all Iranians, including those who did not vote for him or those who perpetually undermine his policies. But trying to satisfy all factions and groups is not only meaningless but also not doable.
Hassan Rouhani’s story is turning into a situation in which he has to honeymoon with all the factions consequently dissatisfying every one of them. Contrary to what the government spokesperson on Wednesday said after a cabinet session in response to a letter by Majlis representative Ali Motahari which called the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement “illegal”, Rouhani said he pursued the goal of “calming” the situation in the country to “satisfy all groups.”
But this strategy of pleasing all is now becoming harmful. The pro-president media and his PR advisors should stop being diplomatic and considerate and inform the president of all the obstructions that are taking place regarding his policies and views so that he has a better picture of where he is going.
The reality will show him that even if there is a honeymoon between the administration and the extremist political faction in the country, it is only at the superficial level, which is dictated from above. It should be noted that while other conservative factions did not create obstacles for the administration in the beginning, now they have come to a position where they have no reservations in undermining it whenever the opportunity arises.
These two – the extremists and the conservatists – have only pursued different strategies for the same goal, which is none other than defeating the administration or may be even removing it from office before its term expires.
As we move forward and the moderate goals of hardliners become less attainable, the extremist-conservative alliance will strengthen, despite the differences they have. The totalitarian nature of these two movements – extremists and conservatists – will become a greater and more serious issue for the administration as its supporters shrink and their criticism of Rouhani voters moves beyond the private settings out into the open. And as the midterm of Rouhani’s presidency approaches, they will be more even more vocal and public.
Rouhani needs to be aware that official polls do not necessarily reflect the true sentiments of the masses, just as election polls turned out to be different from what ultimately happened at the voting booths. Realities in the field indicate that the 60 percent support that Rouhani is said to enjoy among the public may in fact be more poll-making than a reflection of people’s true views. The general trend among political groups and elected officials is usually in the direction of dropouts in the number of their supporters rather than growth in their numbers. This is unlikely to change as many of Rouhani’s initial supporters have already joined his opponents or at the least joined his critics.
The president needs to be appreciative of his critics as they are better than his ignorant or unwise supporters. And while he spoke against sycophancy at Tehran University last week his administration must promote the same throughout the country and all sections of the population so that the media and writers comfortably present the true feelings and wishes of people without fear of arrest, harassment or punishment.
To summarize this, the honeymoon of the administration with some of those who voted for him is over. Any unwise steps and actions now can result in irreparable consequences and bring about despair among the wider majority.
Perhaps conditions do not allow the majority of people to speak their hearts, but what they say on the streets, in taxi cabs, or the metro is similar to what some of his sincere supporters, such as Ali Motahari and his letter, have been saying:
“According to article 113 of the Constitution, the president is responsible for the implementation of the constitution and if any of the two other branches violate the constitution, he can at the least use the support of people to warn it or give it notice and public opinion will then do its share.”
“The constitution is to be implemented and not kept in a glass cabinet.”
Rooz online