Khatami: People Have Expectations from the Regime

Just one month after former two-time president Mohammad Khatami publicly said that both sides – regime and the opposition – needed to make public apologetic statements over the events since the 2009 presidential elections, something that received a loud and harsh reprimand from regime supporters, Khatami said two days ago that if anybody had any rightful demands, it was the public.

He stressed that “people never owe anything to governments,” adding that the only responsibility people have is to obey the law.

These remarks were published by Khatami’s official news website and on the eve of the disputed elections of 2009. He said these words to a group of families of 8-year war veterans and political activists. “The regime must pay its dues to the people based on its social contract,” he said.

These remarks come amid the controversy that Khatami created about a month ago when he said that both sides needed to apologize and forgive the other. In his remarks, he specifically said that if the leader and the regime had been insulted and harmed, then they should forgive in the name of the future.

In that talk he also called for opening up the political atmosphere of the country by freeing political prisoners, allowing political and social gatherings, ending bans, besieges and detentions, bans on political groups, etc.

But he was attacked for that invitation. Hardline Kayhan newspaper for example called the forgiveness “treacherous.”

But he was also criticized by reformists. Ardeshir Amir Arjomand, the spokesperson for the Green Movement said last week that so long as their leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi remained under house arrest, people could not move on and there would be no conciliation. He also ruled out behind the scenes arrangements. This spokesperson for Mousavi said that it was the regime that had to apologize from the people for its atrocities.

In his remarks, Khatami also said that reconciliation and forgiveness by both sides did not mean that people would stop or end their rightful demands. “People will not retreat” from their calls, he said.

He also spoke about security and said that security could not be provided for the rulers alone. “Rulers must enjoy security in the shadow of social security and the security of each and every person in society,” he said. And this was only possible if regimes could win the hearts of people, he added, alluding to the wide public dissatisfaction and discontent among the Iranian population with all aspects of their life.

In his remarks, Khatami reaffirmed his allegiance to his allies, Mousavi and Karoubi and stressed that they had to be released immediately, along with other political prisoners in the country.