Khatami, Opposition and Authoritarianism

Roozonline Reports - Kayhan newspaper, run by an appointed editor in chief, dedicated its main front page ‎headline and picture on its Sunday, December 14, 2008 issue to the “Oil, Development ‎and Democracy” conference, organized by colleagues of the former Iranian president, ‎and to Seyyed Mohammad Khatami’s meeting with Ebrahim Yazdi, head of an ‎opposition group called the Iran Liberation Front. As the 2009 presidential race ‎approaches, it appears that Khatami’s possible participation in the race has unnerved the ‎autocrats in Iran.‎

The publication of this outsized photograph of Khatami and Yazdi on its front page is not ‎a small event in Iran, especially because Kayhan added biased and pointed captions to the ‎photograph, revealing the motivation of its publishers: "A large number of so-called ‎reformers ranging from Khatami, those who support him in next year’s presidential race, ‎and even well known figures who oppose the Islamic Republic such as Ebrahim Yazdi - ‎who today serves as the main contact between America and certain domestic factions ‎aligned with the West - participated in the conference." ‎

Kayhan warns that the goal of those who speak in academic seminars for the need to ‎break the government's monopoly of oil revenues in these terms: "Westerners hope to ‎lock Iran's economy by 'bankrupting the government' and eventually putting the key for ‎unlocking this lock in the pockets of reformists as their desired foot soldiers in Iran in the ‎hopes that people will abandon the Principalists and are forced to revert back to the ‎reformists" (Kayhan, issue 19255, December 14, 2008). ‎

The newspaper under Hossein Shariatmadari's management does not provide a response ‎to serious questions and criticism raised in the "Oil, Development and Democracy" ‎conference regarding how tens of billions of dollars in oil revenues were spent during the ‎past three-and-a-half years. Indeed, the important factor for the political-security team ‎managing Kayhan is to open a new "case" and devise a new "project" to create serious ‎doubts in the mind of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's most formidable competitor in the ‎upcoming election. ‎

Iranian autocrats are so fearful and intolerant that they cannot tolerate even a meeting ‎between Khatami and a critical citizen. Kayhan reports, "Ebrahim Yazdi today serves as ‎the main contact between America and certain domestic factions aligned with the West." ‎It appears that from the perspective of these autocrats the former president of Iran does ‎not have the right to carry a casual conversation with a critical Iranian citizen either. ‎

The tyrants know well that Khatami's return to power would create more opportunities ‎for critics and supporters alike to voice their opinions. Khatami has repeatedly ‎emphasized that he wants Iran for all Iranians and even loudly says, "Long live my ‎opponent!"‎

These autocrats desire absolute power, and from their perspective no one must be allowed ‎to criticize their ideology and policies and programs. Obviously, those who endorse such ‎a viewpoint will not shy away from taking any measure to deny the reformists a share of ‎power. From the point of view of the autocrats, the opponents of the regime in Iran must ‎be thankful for the fact that they remain "alive," even though this opposition has a history ‎of tens of years of struggle for a free, developed and independent Iran.‎

These tyrants who have positioned themselves in seats of authority will not easily ‎relinquish even a tiny ounce of the "power, wealth, prestige and information" present in ‎the ideological and rentier state. As a result, those who pursue democratization must be ‎prepared to accept more pressures, threats and restrictions than before.‎

From this perspective, the 2009 election with Khatami's candidacy will become another ‎turning point in Iran's contemporary political history.