Ex Kurdish Mp In Iran: Rouhani’s Promises Remain Unfulfilled By Fuad Haqiqi

“Rouhani ’s government is currently busy with dismissing and appointing officials. If we can’t take our rights now, we will face problems later,” Rezaee warned.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has failed to honor campaign promises of granting greater minority rights and his appointee for minority affairs lacks authority, charged a former Kurdish MP in the Iranian parliament.

“Rouhani has not delivered his election promises yet,” declared Mohammad Mohammad Rezaee, ex-MP from the city of Bijar in Iran’s Kurdistan province.

Rezaee also criticized activists in Iran’s Kurdish regions for losing the post of governor in Sanandaj (Sina in Kurdish) due to disagreements.

Before his election in June, Rouhani had promised a 10-point program that included improvements in the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, including the Kurds. He had also pledged to appoint a deputy for minority affairs, but after election named Ali Younesi as an “advisor,” whose authority is seen to be considerably less.

Younesi “has only made promises; his actions are not acceptable,” Rezaee said. He added that appointing a Kurd as deputy interior minister would be a step in the right direction, but not enough to address minority complaints.

The idea of appointing a deputy for minority affairs was first proposed by Hasil Dasa, an MP from Sardasht and Piranshar in the previous parliament. When Younesi was appointed, Dasa told Rudaw: “An assistant does not have the power of a deputy and most probably he won’t be successful in his job and will not be as powerful as a deputy.”

Younesi has blamed a small clan of hard-liners for hindering minority rights on security grounds, but has called on minorities not to lose hope.

He said the hard-liners were a “small group” with loud voices, who usually act on their own and ignore the guidelines and principles of the Islamic Republic. He has also blamed the execution of three jailed Kurdish activists late last year on hard-line groups.

When Rouhani appointed Younesi, his position was described as equal to that of a vice president.

Recently, several current and former MPs of the Iranian parliament, who met to assess the performance of Rouhani’s government, concluded that the president had failed to deliver on his promises.

They noted that his performance in the Sunni Sistan-Baluchistan province was better because he had appointed three women and several Sunni representatives to administrative provincial posts.

At the meeting, representatives from Urumiyeh province announced that the governor is planning to grant administrative posts to several women and Sunnis.

Rouhani’s pre-election 10-point plan had promised education in mother tongue for minorities, handing responsibilities to local authorities and developing underdeveloped provinces, such as the country’s Kurdish regions.

“Rouhani ’s government is currently busy with dismissing and appointing officials. If we can’t take our rights now, we will face problems later,” Rezaee warned.

comments:

Kafantaris

The lesson for Iran from Crimea is that calcified and anachronistic Russia was left the big loser — the ways of old don’t work anymore. This is particularly sobering for Iran that aspires military might. But for what? To bully its neighbors and scare away economic opportunity? Better to bury the hatchet at all cost and find new ways to get along. This is the way of our interconnected world — and the only proven way to improve the lives of all citizens.

Muraz Adzhoev

I states, that execise overwelming power within the framework of formally or actually accepted ideological system of domination of radical political and religious nationalist forces, personality of top officials – presidents, prime-ministers and so on – is not an instrument to change and improve social, public, administrative and legal structures of countries for all people and ethno-cultural communities. Especially in Iran, Iraq and Syria. No Rouhanis, Malikis and Assads will, can and wish to become democrats and reformists, because the forces of the dictatorship do not allow anything contrary to the content of the their ideological, political and philosophical system. It costs nothing for them to make promises and give empty hopes to the “unequal” Kurdish people. Today it is obvious what should be done step by step within the short period of time by the authorities of KAR – the only official, legal and recognized entity, able to unite the Kurdish nation in the peaceful liberation struggle..

Goran

The Kurds in Iran did a political mistake by voting overwhelmingly for Rouhani in the presidential election, considering that it was obvious that Rouhani’s mentor was Rafsanjani. Have we forgotten what his mentor Rafsanjani did to the Kurds. What do we expect from his noucheh (novice)? The 70th anniversary of Kurdistan Republic is approaching. Should we celebrate it by establishing a rojhalat Kurdish komal-ga/parliament in exile? Or should we feel content by being observers of the ongoing struggles in the neighboring Kurdish regions and be focusing our energy there?

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/20032014