Provide Faith in Government

Meysam Tavab, Rooz Online:

According to reports reaching us from Tehran, president Ahmadinejad’s government is now focusing on short-term development projects and tasks, while preventing the implementation of long-term programs at the national and provincial levels, all with the goal of creating confidence among the public.

In a recent trip to a province, the president told a meeting of the provincial council to work on short-term development projects – the ones that produce results quickly - and thus provide people with faith in their government. He called this goal the government’s strategic pathway, through which people would regain their trust in their elected officials.

In an effort to demonstrate to the public that he is sincere in providing his promises to the public during last year’s presidential elections, president Ahmadinejad has been making all kinds of economic and welfare promises when he travels outside the capital. But his promises to the people are so unplanned and exaggerated that even his own supporters have begun to raise their alarms. This alarm has even been voice in the Majlis (Iran's Parliament) where elected officials have reminded the president that he needs legislative approvals before doling out public monies. READ MORE

Since his election, the president has traveled to six provinces: South Khorasan, Ilam, Sistan and Baluchistan, Qom, Hormozgan, and Bushehr provinces. In each stop he has approved allocations, totaling some 410 in all, without any oversight or review, by the legislature or otherwise. His approvals in each province have been as follows: In Khorasan 100, in Ilam 45, in Baluchistan 50, in Qom 45, in Hormozgan 90 and in Bushehr 80.