Reformists Should Stay out of Power

Ahmad Zeydabadi, Roozonline:

The effects of the reformers should they come to power has been widely debated by Iranian thinkers. They all have one thing in common and that is that the million pro-reformers who first voted for Mohammad Khatami’s presidency 8 years ago and then voted in the local councils, then in the sixth parliamentary elections and finally in the last presidential race, are all so disappointed in the performance of the reformists that they are not eager to waste their time any more and even walk to the boots. They really do not think the reformers’ ways to attain their human dignity and needs will work, as they have not.

Certainly even if the reformers do come to power, they cannot change their ways and primarily so because of the complex power structure and non-elected authorities that over-rule the measures of the elected officials. In fact anybody who gets into the presidential saddle will have no choice but to take these powers into account. But since they still will need the support of the electorate, what will happen is that they will continue to become more vocal against the non-elected power centers, while giving more radical hopes to the masses. The net product of all this will be that the relations between the inner reformers (i.e. those that are part of the current power structure as opposed to the reformists that outside the system) and their conservative colleagues, will be more tense and edgy than before, precluding any real work for the nation. So the final outcome may be nothing but violence and animosity between the two groups, not exactly what the reformists have been working for.

So the price for getting into power and staying is going to be so expensive for the reformers that I do not believe it worthwhile to even try.

My advice would be to stay out of power and let the other side take full control. This way, reformers can honorably return to the masses and enjoy their sympathy and support, without the power. But the reformist leaders are afraid of doing this, believing that then the conservatists will do with them what they have done with the other political groups earlier on in the revolution. READ MORE

They even believe that the way to promote reforms is through participation in the government and power structure, the absence of which would lead to a revolution!

Not my cup of tea.