Saturday
Nov212009
UPDATED Iran Video and English Text: Mousavi Interview with Kalemeh (21 November)
Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 16:35
The Latest from Iran (21 November): Mousavi, Khomeini, and Ahmadinejad
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UPDATE 22 November: An EA source has offered some additions to the English translation of the interview.
An English-summary translation of Mousavi's statement follows the video.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=338xHiia9nw[/youtube]
Mir Hossein Mousavi: A country that is governed under the name of Islam should not continue its path by terrorizing people
Invading the American embassy by Iranian students [in 1979] was a reaction to American interference into Iran affairs and its support for Shah. If it was Russia or Britain doing that, the same thing would have happened to them. Therefore our people pay attention to the fundamental roots and reasons behind 13 Aban [the demonstrations of 4 November] and against the interference of foreigners and not a specific country, and this is why on 13 Aban all people came to the streets.
This year’s November 4th, because of how people took the streets and remained on the scene, turned to a great memory for our nation....On November 4th, the regime brought an army to confront the people....[but] dividing the people and enforcing limitations created new circumstances for the Green movement.
“First, there was the number of armed forces put on the streets to confront people. In the history of the revolution, I had never seen so many forces placed at important points....I told myself even if today nobody shows up on the streets, this is a victory for the Green path of hope. It shows how afraid they are of it and what a significant movement it is.
A country that is governed under the name of Islam and have had a great revolution should not continue its path by terrorizing people....The first impression of all those armed forces on November 4 was creating terror to tackle people’s greatest asset [their bravery] despite the fact that if we want to have a prosperous nation and county we should emphasise this asset. This is what was being attacked on November 4. If you ask me if they achieved their goal: in my opinion, they did not....
They attacked people but people were not afraid. If you look at the footage from the streets, you see that they were beating people but people were not running away. They go on the other side of the street and continue chanting their slogans....
The next outcome of this kind of confrontation is anger, which will lead some to go beyond the basic slogans that the Green movement emphasises, which is abiding to the constitution and fulfilling all its principles in the country....People should note that no matter how much they (the government’s agents) show brutality, people should not fall into the trap of brutality. It is necessary for us to maintain our logic and our cool, and remain loyal and preserve our values and bravery to express our beliefs in the society....
We want freedom as a natural and innate demand in human and we will pay any price necessary for it....
[In another part of his interview, Mousavi commented on the plans by the Government to eliminate subsidies and noted the experts’ warnings against doing so. Mousavi said that in all countries there are some subsidies but the issue is how the Government distributes them to get the best benefit.
Mousavi reminded people that the elimination of subsidies will lead to increase in prices. He added that, just because the government sells oil cheaper inside the country than to the foreign countries, it should not conclude that it is paying a subsidy because other prices in the country are also cheaper than abroad. He questioned if the government is also willing to increase the wage of workers comparable to what is paid in other countries.]
What worries me is that the government does not have a comprehensive plan under the supervision of the Parliament. Because of the political and personal differences they have caused a lot of problems for the people. We witness that the government does not have an unbiased view of the national interest. [Mousavi added that, after the elimination of the subsidies, the government will only help those sectors that it favours and will not give any money to others that are not favoured.]
People don’t know what happened to the 300 billion dollar oil money in the past 4 years; where it was spent; and what its outcome was.
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
UPDATE 22 November: An EA source has offered some additions to the English translation of the interview.
An English-summary translation of Mousavi's statement follows the video.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=338xHiia9nw[/youtube]
Mir Hossein Mousavi: A country that is governed under the name of Islam should not continue its path by terrorizing people
Invading the American embassy by Iranian students [in 1979] was a reaction to American interference into Iran affairs and its support for Shah. If it was Russia or Britain doing that, the same thing would have happened to them. Therefore our people pay attention to the fundamental roots and reasons behind 13 Aban [the demonstrations of 4 November] and against the interference of foreigners and not a specific country, and this is why on 13 Aban all people came to the streets.
This year’s November 4th, because of how people took the streets and remained on the scene, turned to a great memory for our nation....On November 4th, the regime brought an army to confront the people....[but] dividing the people and enforcing limitations created new circumstances for the Green movement.
“First, there was the number of armed forces put on the streets to confront people. In the history of the revolution, I had never seen so many forces placed at important points....I told myself even if today nobody shows up on the streets, this is a victory for the Green path of hope. It shows how afraid they are of it and what a significant movement it is.
A country that is governed under the name of Islam and have had a great revolution should not continue its path by terrorizing people....The first impression of all those armed forces on November 4 was creating terror to tackle people’s greatest asset [their bravery] despite the fact that if we want to have a prosperous nation and county we should emphasise this asset. This is what was being attacked on November 4. If you ask me if they achieved their goal: in my opinion, they did not....
They attacked people but people were not afraid. If you look at the footage from the streets, you see that they were beating people but people were not running away. They go on the other side of the street and continue chanting their slogans....
The next outcome of this kind of confrontation is anger, which will lead some to go beyond the basic slogans that the Green movement emphasises, which is abiding to the constitution and fulfilling all its principles in the country....People should note that no matter how much they (the government’s agents) show brutality, people should not fall into the trap of brutality. It is necessary for us to maintain our logic and our cool, and remain loyal and preserve our values and bravery to express our beliefs in the society....
We want freedom as a natural and innate demand in human and we will pay any price necessary for it....
[In another part of his interview, Mousavi commented on the plans by the Government to eliminate subsidies and noted the experts’ warnings against doing so. Mousavi said that in all countries there are some subsidies but the issue is how the Government distributes them to get the best benefit.
Mousavi reminded people that the elimination of subsidies will lead to increase in prices. He added that, just because the government sells oil cheaper inside the country than to the foreign countries, it should not conclude that it is paying a subsidy because other prices in the country are also cheaper than abroad. He questioned if the government is also willing to increase the wage of workers comparable to what is paid in other countries.]
What worries me is that the government does not have a comprehensive plan under the supervision of the Parliament. Because of the political and personal differences they have caused a lot of problems for the people. We witness that the government does not have an unbiased view of the national interest. [Mousavi added that, after the elimination of the subsidies, the government will only help those sectors that it favours and will not give any money to others that are not favoured.]
People don’t know what happened to the 300 billion dollar oil money in the past 4 years; where it was spent; and what its outcome was.
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