What are you afraid of???

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areyo barzan
by areyo barzan
26-Jun-2012
 

As a person who believes in democracy I whole heartedly believe in the principal of questioning the motive and conduct of our political leaders and those whose ambition is to lead us in the future. Hence every time I see someone putting a political opposition leader under the spotlight and asking them tough questions, it gives me both hope and regret.

Hope for the fact that we Iranians seem to have finally learned to threat our political leaders not as Gods who could not do any thing wrong but as another fellow countryman who also has the potential to make mistake and yes to be wrong, just like the rest of us.

It also makes me sad and regretful to think that why 33 years ago we did not give one Khomeini and his followers the same hard time before blindly following them to hell. If only we would have asked a fraction of the same tough questions from him and his followers instead of following him blindly to the hell that is IRI (and not back yet) then our and our children’s faith might have been different as well.

But having said that I also believe that these things need to be done in a fair moderate and mutual manner and questioning someone would no and should not be the same as denying their right to campaign as they see fit.

However what I see from Mr Amini and the opponent of RP in this site is not just legitimate questions and criticism but character assassination and an attempt to deny the right of RP and his followers to advocate and campaign for the form of democracy (constitutional monarchy) that they believe in.

I have also read the content of interview and I see noting wrong with it.

Like it or not, Reza Pahlavi is the leader of a group of Iranians called Monarchist and he has to see himself and the future king of Iran, otherwise having a republican as a candidate for the next king would be a bit awkward.

As long as he and his followers respect the wish of people in a free fair referendum and IF in that referendum our people vote for a constitutional monarchy then of course he would be king.

I wonder what other answer to this question our republican friends expected from RP and his followers.

If RP did not regard himself as the future potential King or did not believe in Constitutional  Monarchy wouldn’t you be the first one in line to ask the question that how can he be a King when even he himself do not believe in Monarchy.

On the other hand there is one issue that has been nagging me from the moment this article went up and that is the necessity for me to ask all those who are angered by RP’s statement. WHY?

You are stating that RP is an incompetent, illiterate and opportunist person who is only thinking of restoring himself to power and can not care less about Iran or Iranians.

More importantly as you are claiming, he has no support amongst Iranian and some even claim that the young generation in Iran do not even know him (In spite of the fact that the young generation that I am dealing with here know him very well and follow his every move and word) but anyway!

So the question is: “Then WHY are you so worried?”

If Pahlavi’s legacy is so dark that our people do not want to go back to the times of minimum to zero inflation, 30 Rial per kilo lamb and two Rial per litter petrol, if they do not want to go back to the time when they could travel easily to every country in The West without worrying about exchange rate or the difficulties of obtaining a visa, In case as you claim they do not want to go back to the time that they only visited Europe, US, Australia and Canada as wealthy tourists or sponsored students and not as penniless asylum seekers, if they do not want to go back to the time that they were the superior nation in the Persian Gulf and no country in the world would have even dared to call Persian Gulf by any other names,  if as you say our people passed that point and prefer idiots like AN, Mosavi, Karoobi, Khatami and Banisadr or traitors like Rajavi over competent prime ministers like Amir Abbas Hoveida or patriots such as Shahpoor Bakhtiar. In that case what is the worry?

Let RP be another idiotic noise in the crowd.

If you are so sure of yourselves, your ideology and the support you have amongst Iranians and especially the young and no one in Iran has the nostalgia of the 33 years ago when life as actually good, then WHY waist your time on the likes of RP.

Isn’t it about the high time that you people stopped with the negative campaign on other members of opposition and instead tell us something positive about yourself, the people you support and your strategy and mandate to  save this country. How about telling us who do you support and who do you thing is eligible to be the leader of opposition instead of just hiding in the closed and sending negative waves after negative waves..

Has it ever accoutred to you that may be the rest of us also have the right to scrutinize you leader and his intents or strategy.

For those who have read my past articles know very well that I am an advocate of democracy and for me the essence is important and not the name(republics or constitutional monarchy) as I am mature enough that under both name we can have a vibrant democracy or a brutal dictatorship. Furthermore even democracy is not the aim but it is another tool to make this country strong again and its people prosperous and happy.

At the end of the day we do not just want democracy in order to enable a few un-evolved political monkeys to take the stage one after the others in order to promote their own obsolete bankrupted ideologies of the past or to tell us how to live, what to wear or what to watch, eat and drink.

I have been living in different democracies around the world for long enough to know that at the end of the day the government and politicians are the servants of people and their duties are not to promote their own agenda and iridology but to serve the people by managing the economy in the right way keeping inflation under control, opening the way for new business and creation of new jobs and defending our interests in an international stage (in a diplomatic way and NOT by war mongering).

Finally, when it comes to people whom I believe to be politically dead and yesterday’s losers, when it comes to idiots like Banisadr, Rajavi, Amini, and Taghvayee or parties like Toodeh party, MKO, communists or Islamists, I do not even bother to comment on their activities or statement as I know very well that they have minimum to zero support in Iran and especially amongst the younger generation.

However I still respect their freedom to say what they want to say and attend their political activities as they see fit. I would go even further and defend their right to say and do as they see fit. This would not be because I support or even like them but to maintain my own integrity as a true democrat.

The reason for this would be that first of all as an advocate of democracy I see it as my duty to defend the right of all even and especially those with whom I am in utter disagreement and secondly because I find their approach so childish and obsolete and I have such high faith in the wisdom of my fellow countrymen and especially the young generation that I do not see these individuals or parties as threat.

However it seems to me that those who focus their attack on only one person (RP) or on party (Monarchists) and are trying to shut them up at any cost are seeing these people as a big threat towards their own goals and to me that would indicates the fact that not only these people do not have any fait in the intelligence of their fellow countrymen as they believe that that we Iranians could be fooled  again and be taken advantage by anyone, it also indicates that these people have no fait in themselves and their ideology  or leaders either to the extent that even RP could be a threat to them.

Or may be these guys are another dictator in disguise, the next Khomeini, Khamene-ey or even AN and hence they want to get rid of any one and anything that might stand in their way of achieving absolute power.

Now I am not and expert but even I can smell this rat from a thousand miles

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anglophile

Excellent blog

by anglophile on

You nailed them perfectly Areyo Jaan. I think their beef is not necessarily with Prince Reza but with their own inept selves who have failed to come up with any other viable alternative in the past 33 years and at the end they have to admit that they got it wrong back then. With such attitude, I am still to be convinced if our dear compatriots are ready for democracy (oops I hope I didn't evoke the wrath of Mohammad Amini again).


JustAnIranian

Thank you Areyo

by JustAnIranian on

I agree with all of your views. I wish somebody would listen. 


amirparvizforsecularmonarchy

Areyo your article was excellent, unlikely

by amirparvizforsecularmonarchy on

anyone will comment on your views and beliefs, which i like you share.  Well done.


Zorumbaa

Law and Order, what is that?

by Zorumbaa on

 1st Amn. This is the last statement in my post that apparently you have ignored, “….what democracy and a democratic government is all about—particularly the one that FITS US?!!!”  Clearly the emphasis is in “ FITS US” NOT American style of something that you referred to. I have clearly and without any doubt did not say or EVEN IMPLIED following the American MODEL is the way to go.  

What does Nixon impeachment and REMOVAL from the office of presidency HAS ANYTHING to do with his pardon at some other time by a different president? Should he have been hanged? May be firing squad? He broke the LAW and he saw the consequences, --THAT IS the point. This is called Law and Order. He could have been run by a bus and killed in street or even be appointed as Chinese Ambassador (perfect fit I think!!) and that in no way form or shape changes the fact the he broke the law received the penalty accordingly.

FREE election and freely elected public servant , at least in my understanding, means that I see gazillions dollars worth of advertising, ALL PAID for by all kind of interest groups, including as you mentioned the monstrous corporate money, BUT at the end I DECIDE to vote or not to vote, and for whom to vote. If I want to learn about the REAL FACTS I am FREE to check the INTERNET and READ ANY book or prints anywhere,  this can go on and I am sure you CANNOT disagree on this subject.  To get to some reasonable conclusion, if possible at all, let us stay focus, on the point and not have a Hodge hodgepodge of a discussion.


First Amendment

"A FREELY ELECTED president, aka an ELECTED official"

by First Amendment on

A free elected president or any official seems to be kinda misnomer.........How can be all of that corporate money and so-called political donations be called "free".........it's in fact quite hefty, and bonding...........payback times are pretty set in the American political arena.........and the Nixon's Watergate example doesn't hold much water(no pun intended), for one has to remember the presidential pardon that he received, as part of the deal.................

Following the American model when it's plunging on her steepest historic slope is not that wise............ By the way, The American Judicial system is well known for being stained by political intervention..........Khod daanid.....


Zorumbaa

Answer to your Question.

by Zorumbaa on

No president elected by people, and the emphasis is on ELECTED, regardless if he/she has FUN or not cannot stay “there” if the LAW of the LAND dictates as such. A big part of democracy and an essential requirement for having a CIVIL society is the supremacy of LAW AND ORDER over all other habits, customs, norms, relationships.  Regardless if they are tribal, cultural, religious and otherwise.

A FREELY ELECTED president, aka an ELECTED official,  stays in his/her job and position as long as PEOPLE want and as representative  of people h/she  must follows the laws that is supposed to be protected by that office and obeyed by all, including the so called the PRESIDENT.

 Here in U.S., you see lots of law breaking and corruption. From the Wall Street to the Hedge Funds, Organized Crime, and everything else. But one major and unique thing that has kept this country with all of it ills and problems at this position and level—so far!!-- is the ultimate supremacy of the “Law and Order.”  Thousands of people get killed every year by wrong use of a hand gun, BUT the Second Amendment is the LAW of the land and protected until is CHANGED by people, i.e. it MUST be obeyed.

Richard Nixon, a popularly ELECTED president breaks the LAWS of the LAND, he is impeached, MUST leave office in disgrace. I Hope in a democratic Iran, all of us, including President (if any!) genuinely understands that what democracy and a democratice government is all about—particularly the one that FITS US?!!!


JustAnIranian

Question

by JustAnIranian on

The amount of intolerance we observe today in the Iranian opposition brings this question to my mind, how can they guarantee that they will not become dictators themselves when they get power? 

I mean seriously! We come from a country that intolerance seems to be a habit and the law is not necessarily always obeyed? Who says the president elect will not have fun up there and decide to stay.

I call Putin 'Tsar ba roo dar vasee'. Who is to say we will not end up with a 'Shah with roo dar vasee'


Zorumbaa

What are YOU afraid of ?

by Zorumbaa on

ALETHOPHOBIA, which is their disease. Intellectually challenged, educationally green, cognitively at the level of a retard. These maniacally devoted simpleton members of Islamist Hoi-Polloi not only do not have the capability to engage in a serious authentic discourse, in a CIVILIZED manner, they are also suffering from the terminal sickness of denial—KETMAAN.  They have no other alternative. They Bark and bark; they vilify;  they become belligerent;  they are animus;  and they have the mendacity to claim they have tolerance and compassion—because that is what their religion teaches. The TRUTH has a lot more power that million Zolfaghaars!  


amirparvizforsecularmonarchy

There are so many cowards that have nothing to say to what

by amirparvizforsecularmonarchy on

you wrote, this blog won't have much input from many on IC, because it makes perfect sense to all, including the deceived who gave Iran 1979.