Tehran, Aug 30, IRNA – Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here Thursday that the Iranian nation’s solidarity today is stronger than anytime before, referring to the nation’s epic created in 11th presidential election.
He said that the Iranian nation created and epic, but preserving it is tough, adding, “Preserving the Islamic Revolution was a very tough job, but in the course of the years after the victory of the revolution many things happened; many people were victimized due to terrorist acts, explosions, and the (Iraqi) imposed war, and these were all for preserving the revolution.”

The chairman of the Expediency Council of the Country reiterated, “Months before holding the (11th presidential) election people were frequenting in my office and telling me to keep the light of hope alive in the people, but I say, it was the people who did so.”

Hashemi Rafsanjani added that in a meeting with the university students before the elections some of them were displeased, adding, “I didn’t say that I will not nominate myself; why then are you upset?”

He added, “This sentence intrigued the extremists to enter the scene of action.”

The former Iranian president said, “The was the people’s demand and that was why I nominated myself for the president campaign, in which the people created an epic in which the people in the cities, the villages and even the Iranians aboard participated enthusiastically.”

Member of the Leadership Experts Assembly reiterated, “Neither the West, nor the East blocks of power were willing that we would preserve our revolution and after that, too, we were witnesses to the occurrence of event, such as the problems which were created for those who served this revolution, which must be resolved gradually.”

Hashemi Rafsanjani added, “The June 14th election was a great event which took aback many of those who did not wish it to happen. They were announcing opinion polls till just a few days before the elections which were enthralling only for they themselves. They collected the data for those opinion polls from the people, but arranged the results regardless of the people’s responses, and we were witnesses to the way that God surprised them.”

He added, “Almighty God inclined the hearts of the Iranian nation towards a certain point and from that peace and calmness once again settled in the hearts of the people.”

The chairman of the Expediency Council reiterated, “In this path some people might be the allies of some others, but we should not condemn them; if we wish to act in accordance with our religious beliefs and justice we should permit the others to say what they wish to say.”

Hashemi Rafsanjani reiterated, “Those who have differences of opinion must resort to logic, observe justice, and keep calm so that we would be able to present a great pattern of modest behavior to the world.”

Reminding that it was by God’s grace that the hearts of the Iranian nation were relived, he addressed the attendants at the gathering to renew their covenanted with the late Imam Khomeini (P) and said, “If you would feel that now you are the winners and do what a group of extremists did, such as acting like the totalitarians, you would resemble them, so refrain from doing so.”

He added, “We need to proceed in the society logically and observe justice. Today the doors are not shut over anyone. There is no cement wall blocking anyone’s path as such walls have all collapsed among our people and the people created the election epic knowing such facts.”

The chairman of the Expediency Council emphasized, “Today words might be spoken that the national media do not broadcast, but the other media cover them, or might some media might publish some items that the others do not.”

Hashemi Rafsanjani then referred to some parts of the Supreme Leader’s comments on elections day, saying, “After voting he said that the people votes are their rights, and that sentence was very important, because every Muslim knows that God might ignore His rights, but will never ignore the people’s rights.”

He reiterated, “That sentence by the Leader was a strategic and lasting one, which must be discussed at political circles.”

The former Iranian Parliament speaker said, “If some people just a few days before the elections denied some candidates’ right to run for president, they abolished their rights and so did those who did not permit the casted votes to be counted. If we would act the way that Islam expects us to act, we can be good models for the other Muslims.”

Hashemi Rafsanjani reiterated, “The world nations were the witnesses to the epic that the Iranian nation created on the elections day, and they saw how mature the Iranians are.”

He then referred to the region’s status, saying, “If we would pay attention to the prevailing conditions in such countries as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Tunisia, we will notice that Iran is the most peaceful country in the region.”

He added, “After the elections Iran gained a great deal of security and the elections were held without any problem, which was a good model according to the logic of democracy.”

The veteran politician reminding the events in Egypt said, “The Egyptians fought for two and a half years, which was sometimes referred to as the Islamic Awakening and sometimes as the Arab Spring, but today we are witnesses to trampling upon the people’s rights and return of despotism, while the liberty campaigners are returning to the prisons.”

The Leadership Experts Assembly member added, “The strange events in Egypt will be good lessons for every one; those who won the elections in Egypt had 25% of the votes there, but they mistreated the people after their victory. One day they killed the Shi’as and the other day they set ablaze the churches.”

Hashemi Rafsanjani added, “The Egyptians are now confronting both despotism and extremism. One day they were burnt by the despots and the other day by the extremists. And we are also witnesses to return of Tunisia to its former conditions, as well.”

He said that the situation in Syria, too, is very grave today, adding, “In that country the people are subjected to chemical bombardment, such as the chemical bombardment in Iran during the (Iraqi) imposed war, and many people have got killed.”

He said that the Syrian nation is the only victims of these events, adding, “Look at Iraq that is still experiencing dozens of bomb explosions ten years after the war.”

The chairman of the Expediency Council added, “The people of Syria have been witnesses to victimizing of their beloved ones for some 30 months and to destroying of their homes. We must show the world the right path of peace, the moderate approach, and rationalism.”

Hashemi Rafsanjani reiterated, “It has been proved to everyone that force, intimidation, terrifying the people and imposing martial law are useless, since that king of security is the security that prevails at the grave yards as well, but we need security for the living folks.”

By IRNA

 

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