Source:
April 18, 2010

2009 presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi has said that the responsibility of the Green Movement is to choose its righteous slogans carefully and to take a firm stand when it comes to its demands.

The Emrooz website reported on Sunday that Mir-Hossein Mousavi met with members of the student committee of the Mujahidin of the Islamic Revolution Organisation. During the meeting, Mousavi spoke of the great potential that is currently in abundance in Iranian universities and said, “The crackdowns have not been able to obstruct the advance of the Green Movement in universities and the current situation has actually deepened the influence of the Green Movement’s aspirations in the universalities and today, political activity together with wisdom is expanding. Realistic discussions on the points of strength and weakness of the movement along with perseverance and reasoning are vital for the continuation of the green path.

The Green Movement leader stated that reason why the mass arrests have not been able to stop the Green Movement was the reality of the “we are countless” slogan adopted by the movement before the elections.

“This slogan is very important. There are three and a half million students across the country and an overwhelming majority of them know that the path towards the country’s dignity is expanding the green waves of awareness and responsibility among the millions of people. Students are the children of the people and up until now have done well in raising awareness and in informing [the people].”

The former prime minister said that those who commit the oppressions have defined their cause in such a way that only a few can feel included among them. “We must define and introduce the green path is a way that it includes the entire 70 million population of Iran, including those against us.”

The popular reformist opposition leader also mentioned “freedom and justice” as two key words in the Green Movement and said that the two were “inseparable,” because a person living in terrible condition faces a higher risk of losing his or her freedoms.

Referring to the disastrous economic policies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mousavi argued that the way forward was not an economy based on and handouts. “Look at the way our national wealth and oil income are wasted. More than before we are becoming dependent on oil and our markets are full of foreign goods when almost all of our industry and agriculture are facing very difficult times,” he said.

“I am amazed when I hear promises of reducing unemployment to five percent with all of these policies, corruption and the lack of planning,” Mousavi said, referring to statements made by government officials.

During the meeting, Mousavi also spoke about the number of prisoners who were either journalists or individuals serving the people and said that they had been imprisoned based on false claims and accusation and were being forced to confess to acts they had not committed. “This is at a time when the independent media are under pressure.”

Mousavi told the students that he did not see the constitution’s full implementation with regards to freedom of press and media. “Green Movement supporters must adapt themselves with the current situation and to find ways of raising awareness and expanding the media under the current difficult circumstances. All of us must turn into media, in the workplace and in the house.”

The wartime leader said that during the brutal Iran-Iraq war, his government’s slogan was to rebuild the country at a rate quicker the Iraqi enemy’s rate of destruction. “The same experience must be adopted now,” he said.

“For every window which is closed other windows must immediately be opened,” he said.

“For every newspaper that is shut down, we must find a way to start reprinting another newspaper through legal frameworks. For every weblog that is shut down, ten more weblogs must start operating for defending the people’s rights. This is the only way and we are countless and we can do this. Let’s remember that the path is not short. We must learn to combine our righteous political activities with our daily lives, here and there. The greatness of the movement is not due to the innovative ideas of a few geniuses but it is due to the activities of countless people who help build a green future by openly or secretly paving the way to the best of their abilities. In this path, even a prayer from an unknown person in a remote corner of the country is valuable. In the green path, no one is concerned about how great their actions are, but everyone is concerned about doing the right thing. Everyone must know that we want to do the right thing. We want to defend human dignity. We do not want the Iranian nationto be defined as a military camp or a small group of people. ‘Iran’ means more than seventy million free citizens with different cultures and beliefs. We are not afraid of this diversity. We like the conservatives as we like our entire nation, as well as all cultures, ethnicities and languages.”

The popular opposition leader also criticised the current backward interpretations of Islam which have led to un-Islamic acts such as the forced confessions, the Kahrizak prison scandal, the attack on university dormitories, etc.

“The key to solving the problem is not meddling in the death tolls and filling up the prisons.”

He called on authorities to attend to the needs of the families of post-election victims and to release all prisoners and to hold free elections and to allow for free media.

Mir-Hossein Mousavi also referred to Ahmadinejad’s recent remarks about the migration of five million people from Tehran because of earthquake risks and his calls for a population growth in the country. “Everyone must know that the way to resolve the country’s problems is not by diverting the public’s attention from political issues,” he said.

Mousavi said that the government’s irrational policies had caused increased external threats against the country. “It is true that the whole country is prepared to stand up to any foreign threat, but at the same time, the nation will not forget those who cause these conditions inside the country.”

“We shouldn’t think that the people will forget our statements and actions,” Mousavi said while adding that the public were even sensitive towards the fate of the warms and turtles sent to space and want to know about the results of the much publicised research that was supposed to be carried out on the creatures.