Our Quarrels are Internal

The conservative group Society of Combatant Clerics (Jame Rohaniyate Mobarez) did not support Hassan Rowhani’s presidential bid in 2013, even though the group remains the president-elect’s choice of party affiliation. Seyed Reza Akrami was the only JRM member who publicly endorsed Rowhani’s presidential candidacy and in fact accompanied him to the ministry of interior where the former went to register his candidacy.

Rooz spoke with the society to find out why it did not support Rowhani and why the latter had stopped attending JRE meeting. Akrami is a member of the group’s ruling council, a former secretary of the society of Friday imams, a five-term Majlis member, head of the war propaganda machinery, and the deputy president of the organization for political and ideological affairs of the Iranian army.

Here are the excerpts of the interview with Rooz.

Rooz: Mr. Rowhani is a member of the JRE, but the group did not support his presidential bid. Does the group have certain expectations from him?

Seyed Reza Akrami: After Dr Hassan Rowhani’s presidential victory, the JRE issued a statement in which it outlined its expectations from him to strengthen Islam, the Islamic republic and people welfare.

Rooz: Why did the JRE not support him?

Akrami: The JRE could not come to a consensus on this but it did invite people to participate in the elections and congratulated Rowhani on his victory.

Rooz: But why did it not support him?

Akrami: What is the point in discussing this now? Mr. Rowhani is now the president and the JRE has congratulated him. Differences erupt among all members of the same family but when a person is elected by the majority, talks turn friendly rather than competitive.

Rooz: Why has Mr. Rowhani stopped going to JRE meetings?

Akrami: He along with some other friends stopped attending these meetings after the 2009 presidential election. He remains a member of JRE and perhaps he will start attending its sessions.

Rooz: Do you mean Mr. Rafsanjani and Nategh Nouri?

Akrami: Yes. Differences erupt sometimes within a family. But we are united in principle. There is no competition taking place and choice of people is supported by all of us.

Rooz: What kind of differences?

Akrami: During the televised debates of the 2009 presidential campaign, Mr. Ahmadinejad insulted Mr. Rafsanjani and Mr. Nategh Nouri and they expected the JRE to take a position against that. But this did not materialize. These are internal differences.

Rooz: You were the only JRE member who supported Rowhani.

Akrami: Yes.

Rooz: How do you evaluate people’s vote?

Akrami: I believe Mr. Rowhani was elected because of his record in the Majlis, in the supreme national security council, in the state expediency council and the programs and plans he announced during the debates.

Rooz: Why do you think people did not vote for the principlists?
Akrami: Generally we do not have a clear definition of the terms principlist and moderates. Mr. Rowhani views himself to be beyond partisanships which is why some principlists voted for him as well. He received the votes of the reformers and others.

Rooz: But the principlists had their own candidate in the race in whose favor people did not vote.

Akrami: Principlists failed to reach a consensus on a single candidate. In addition, the performance of the administration created displeasure. Mr. Rowhani’s moderation brought people towards him because people are tired of extremism and hardliners. And Mr. Rowhani has said that he wants to bridge the differences and created reconciliation.

Rooz: Today there is talk about lifting the house arrests of Mr. Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard and Mehdi Karoubi. Can the reconciliation that you talk about include the release of these people too?

Akrami: Moderation has a meaning in different spheres. In economics it means one thing, in politics it means something specific and in culture likewise. Moderation in general means not being extreme, fast or slow.

Rooz: What about those under house arrest?

Akrami: We have to look at this within the confines of law. If the law is followed, society will automatically move towards moderation.

Rooz: But no legal ruling has been passed against these people. No court has looked in the charges levied against them.

Akrami: Here too, the law and the view of the supreme leader should rule.

Rooz: The reformers’ advisory council has asked ayatollah Khamenei to help MR Rowhani in this endeavor. Mr. Khatami has specifically asked that the house arrests be lifted. Do you agree with ending the house arrests?

Akrami: I do not have a personal opinion. I also have no specific information. I say in this country in this country it is the law and the opinion of the supreme leader that should determine these things.

Rooz: What do you think is Mr. Rowhani immediate priority?

Akrami: Domestically, we have such domestic problems as unemployment, inflation, unused capital and Mr. Rowhani plans to transfer more activities to the people as a way to resolve some of these issues. The issue of work and the trades law has not been written up in law but if it is codified through law then some problems will be resolved. On the foreign front, talks based on respect, sovereignty and expediency will be taken more seriously. God willing, the foreign problem will be resolved or at the least reduced.