Iran Document: Karroubi Maintains the Pressure (28 January)

Yet another forthright declaration comes from Mehdi Karroubi in an interview with his website Saham News today, following his detailed statement to a British newspaper on Wednesday.

In case anyone is still unclear, Karroubi hammers home the message: Ahmadinejad is an illegitimate and irresponsible "President". And those who back him, not those who oppose him, have betrayed the Islamic Republic. (Supreme Leader, what say you?)

Translation from the Facebook page supporting Mir Hossein Mousavi, and passed on by The Flying Carpet Institute:

SAHAM: Mr. Karroubi, Recently there was news from you regarding the status of Ahmadinejad’s administration that was followed by different interpretations. The most important interpretation that bothered many people was the idea of your retreat from and overturning of your position after the election. Did your remark mean retreating and entering a new phase?

Iran Document/Analysis: Karroubi’s Statement on the Political Situation (27 January)
Latest Iran Video: When Karroubi Met Fars (25 January)
Iran & Karroubi: Why This is “Much Ado About Something”
The Latest from Iran (28 January): Trouble Brewing

KARROUBI: It is really strange for me that the experts misunderstood my clear and blunt remark. I ask the experts to pay attention to the introduction and conclusion of my remark.

I have emphasised my criticism over the problems with the election and its results which were the outcome of fraud and engineering OF the votes and continue to do so. However, Mr. Ahmadinejad is the head of the administration, whom despite all the protests has taken the power in the Executive Branch and thus must be accountable for his actions. Currently everyone, inside and outside [the country], in favour of him or in opposition, calls him the head of the establishment’s administration, meaning the one who controls the Executive Branch. Therefore, they demand [from him] that which s the responsibility of the head of the Executive Branch.


This is not something new and does not mean retreating from the previous position at all. This is just like other countries that, when someone takes the power, regardless of how, he/she is called with the relevant title. The protestors’ and my criticism about the legitimacy of this power is still intact, and I still believe that the people’s right to determine their fate was ignored in the 10th presidential election. If the election had been held correctly and the Guardian Council had really safeguarded the constitution, the outcome would have been different and the country and people would not have paid such cost. As I have said before, since this administration has not risen from the people’s vote, it cannot continue with its work.

SAHAM: You criticized the Guardian Council but Mr. Jannati [Ayatollah Jannati, head of the Guardian Council] in his latest remarks, has said that the Islamic Republic conducted one of the healthiest elections. He called the claim of fraud in election by people inside and outside the country ridiculous and stupid and said those people have sold themselves and have committed a betrayal that no one has done before. What is your opinion about these remarks that are a clear insult to this country’s nation and its senior figures?

KARROUBI: I read Mr. Jannati’s remarks too.

It is close to thirty years that Mr. Jannati [Editor: Note Karroubi, like the questioner, uses "Mr Jannati", diminishing Jannati's clerical status] has been in the Guardian Council and for many years he has been the General Secretary of this council and has had a decisive role there.

The talent of Mr. Jannati and his friends has been to turn the legal stature of this council to this pitiful situation. He considers the claims of fraud in election ridiculous and calls it betraying the country, but who is that does not know the one who betrayed this revolution, the martyr’s blood, Imam [Khomeini], and the dear people of Iran is he himself that has brought the country and the revolution to a point that even funerals are held with the presence of the riot police and plainclothes militia?

Pre-approving candidates in the elections and extensively disqualifying this country’s experts in various elections such as for the Assembly of Experts, the Parliament and the Presidential election, making up results as they please, and even changing results after the announcement of them are some of his talents. These betrayals are not only evident to him but also to the people.

Mr. Jannati, today the cry of Iranian people is the response to your betrayal of the people’s votes, the Constitution and Imam Khomeini’s and martyrs’ ideas by making the principle of the election meaningless and slaughtering the Republic.

Comments

[Doug]

My friend Fez who smuggles Donkeys from Azerbijan(province) to Azerbaijan(country) has relayed this story to me as told to him by his parrot, the one who has memorized the Koran:

      What's In a Name?
    A week after Ashura, Mullah Nasrudin was arrested. He was accused of conspiracy to insult the President and crimes against God. It is said that he took a mistress from the UK who gave him the orders from their intelligence services to stir up social disorders and chaos.
     Mullah Nasrudin's wife was able to establish a communications link with Fez. She brings us a transcribed story:
     One day, Mullah Nasrudin came home and declared to his wife that he was changing his name.
     "What are you changing your name to?" she asked.
     Mullah Nasrudin said, "I'm changing it to Mullah Nidursan."
     "But that's just your name spelled backwards! Why would you do that?"
     "Well, since we arrived in Iran, people have heard my name, and consequently, we have found ourselves in a backward country -- perhaps, we're complicit. So I thought that if I say my name backwards, the country will move forward again.
     The Mullah's wife was incredulous, and decided to mock and humor him. She said, "Well, I think you're backward enough for the two of us, but I've always wanted to travel to the Western world, be a sophisticated Lady, and be treated like a Queen."
     "We can't go to the West, but that's a good idea. The educated women of Iran will be inspired if I treat you like a Queen. Well, then, why don't you change your name?"
     "Very well, I choose Elizabeth, and we should go on vacation."
     So it was that Mullah Nasrudin was seen everywhere with a woman he called "Queen Elizabeth", and was heard using his secret agent name, Mullah Nidursan.
     That is why he was arrested, but Queen Elizabeth reports to us more about her husband's maneuvers:
     Mostly the intelligence people in the prison were baffled and not sure how to proceed. They spent many hours trying to trick the Mullah into revealing the conspiracy. But they became exhausted. Just before the shift change for lunch, the last interrogator began again.
     Under threat of torture, the interrogator said to the Mullah, "We know Nidursan is your spy name. What is your real name?"
     "President Ahmadinejad."
     The interrogator repeated in a loud mocking voice, "Oh President Ahmadinejad!" And he intended to schedule a complete torture session that would break this mystery man. But his shift was coming to any end and he wanted to have lunch. So he left the room quickly.
     The next guard, who overheard, was confused and said, "Oh my God, President Ahmadinejad, I'm sorry for our mistake. I will escort you out."
     When they reached the front gate, the Mullah said, "I am actually Mullah Nasrudin."
     The guard became boisterous. He said, "Yeah right, that's a good joke. If you're Mullah Nasrudin, then I'm...," and he shouted "Ali Khamenei."
     Mullah Nasrudin shouted back in a even louder voice, "Oh Supreme Leader!"
     A passerby stopped short, stared at the guard and said, "Oh Supreme Leader, I'm so honored to be in your presence."
     The guard decided to keep his new name and so the chaos spread.
     More later...