pezshkian: We need to see all people.

According to Ashura News, quoted by Mehr News Agency, this Sunday morning, President Masoud Pezshkian attended the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, in a meeting with the minister, deputies and managers, to review the performance of this ministry in the months since the 14th government took office and evaluate the future plans of this complex.

In this meeting, the President criticized the lack of transparency in the country's cultural production system, especially in the field of publishing, and stated: Today, it is not clear in the book production sector what types of books are produced and published, for what audience, and for what purpose. This is while we are expected to have precise and effective goal-setting in cultural policy-making.

The President continued, addressing the managers of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, saying: We must see all people, not just those whose voices are louder, perhaps we should see those who are less visible better and more. With a deep, broad and purposeful look, think of solutions for the problems of all segments of society.

Addressing the officials of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Pezdikian called for utilizing all the human capacities of the country, without narrow-minded views, and said: The government must provide a healthy and competitive environment for the activities of groups that can serve the people, away from mental and factional limitations.

The President continued by stating that securing the livelihood of the people is the most important duty of the government and added: Just as in empirical sciences, for accurate analysis, we separate the numerator and denominator of a fraction, in the field of state administration, a correct distinction must be made between the obvious and hidden needs of society. If there are 100 needy families, but only 50 families have been identified, we are responsible for taking care of all of them, not just those who have been seen.

Recalling his time in the Ministry of Health, Pezdikian referred to a memory of interacting with members of parliament and said: During the period when I was Minister of Health, members of parliament made a request that medical services be provided only to those who are covered by social security insurance. In a meeting, I was told that a person should not receive free services because he or she does not have insurance or is only covered by the relief committee.

The Minister of Health is responsible for the health of all people

The President continued: My answer was that the Minister of Health is responsible for the health of all people; I cannot say that only those who have insurance books have the right to treatment. In this case, many people who either did not have insurance, did not have guardians, or lived on the margins would be ignored. This discriminatory view is in conflict with social justice and the duty of governance.

pezshkian considered such problems to have structural roots and emphasized: As long as our view of service provision is limited and selective, we cannot fulfill our true duty to the people.

Annual payment of $150 billion in energy subsidies is unacceptable

Following these remarks, the President criticized the imbalances that have formed in the country due to the injustice in the allocation of subsidies, calling the annual payment of $150 billion in energy subsidies unacceptable and stated: If energy subsidies are distributed fairly, many of the problems in the country can definitely be overcome.

The doctors considered the solution to many of the country's problems to be dependent on decisions and clarified: If subsidies are distributed fairly, artists, cultural figures and vulnerable groups will no longer face livelihood pressures. Of course, this requires the participation of the people, especially the cultural and artistic community and the network of mosques in cooperation with the government.

The President reminded the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the responsibility of preventing social imbalances and said: "Media, culture and clerics have an important role in guiding public opinion, and this ministry must show in practice that there has been a change in society. If such a change is not observed, we must reconsider our decisions."

In another part of his speech, referring to the Rab'e Rashidi endowment in Tabriz, Pezizkian considered it a historical and valuable example of self-governing management in the higher education system and said: "In that complex, 750 years ago, teaching was done in 7 living languages ​​of the world, and universities were run with the income from their farms and products. Today, instead of focusing on form, we should also emphasize meaning and effectiveness."

In another part of his speech, Pezizkian criticized one-sided approaches and definitive judgments towards individuals and added: "Heaven is also the place for those who have made mistakes but have returned from their wrong path; we should not leave people out of the scene forever with one mistake."

The President continued by considering the use of the huge capacity of mosques across the country as a valuable opportunity to solve social issues and challenges, and emphasized: The extensive network of mosques can play a role, alongside official institutions, in reducing livelihood problems and strengthening social solidarity.

Referring to the famous narration of the Prophet Muhammad, who says that he who wakes up late and does not care about Muslims is not a Muslim, Pezizian stated: Indifference to people's problems has no place in our religious system of thought; this is a fundamental moral, religious, and social principle.

There are more than 80,000 mosques in the country

The President continued: Today, there are more than 80,000 mosques in the country; that is, there is one active mosque available for every 1,500 people; this is a unique opportunity for the country. If this capacity is used with a coherent planning and with the support of religious and concerned forces, we can overcome many of the people's social and livelihood problems.

Referring to the existential philosophy of establishing a mosque, Pezizkian considered mosques to be more than just places of worship and clarified: Prayer is a set of words that a person utters before God. If we say "we perform prayer," it means that all those words and promises that are uttered before God must be manifested in our social behavior and in the functions of mosques.

Referring to the government's readiness to delegate responsibility to competent individuals, Pezizkian stated: We in the government are prepared to provide the field of action to anyone who claims to be able to solve some of the people's problems, but they must be accountable for the responsibility that is assigned to them, and we will also demand an answer from them.

Before the President's speech, Seyyed Abbas Salehi, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, in a speech appreciating Masoud Pezzekian's attention and sensitivity to the field of culture, described his efforts over the past seven months as on par with the actions of a president over eight years of activity, and appreciated his support and support at various stages, both in public and private meetings.

Emphasizing the broad view of the country's public issues within the framework of the slogan of the Government of National Accord, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance described the reference groups as the connecting links between the government and society, adding: The Ministry of Guidance is responsible for establishing effective communication with these groups as intermediary links between the government and society.

Continuing, emphasizing the pivotal position of culture in the country's progress, Salehi requested the President to recognize the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in the government and to restore the influential position of this ministry as the custodian of the country's cultural policymaking.

At the end of this part of the program, a commemorative frame from Pezzekian's recent meeting with veteran artist, Professor Ali Nasirian, was presented to the President by the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance.