01 May 2014
In the second and concluding part of the interview, ex-roads and transportation minister, Ahmad Khorram elaborates on the legacy of the previous government and challenges facing the government of President Hassan Rouhani.
Khorram also discusses problems concerning Mehr Housing project, the previous government's expenditures and Subsidy Reform Plan.
Excerpts of the interview, conducted by Tadbir 24'sMahsa Jazini, are reproduced below:
What else should the government have told the people?
The government should have informed people about the country's problems in the first two months of his election. For instance, for building 2.15 million Mehr Housing units, $14 billion have been withdrawn from the resources of the Central Bank of Iran which is among the government's creditors.
Furthermore, the money has been spent for building housing units in areas with no access to water, electricity and necessary infrastructures.
The implementation of the project began eight years ago and has not been completed yet. It seems that to execute the plan completely, the present government will have to spend another five years on it.
To complete Mehr Housing project, the government should build 2.3 million housing units (280,000 units per year). The project could have progressed much better.
If the past government had deposited the same amount of money in the banking system instead of spending it on the project, it could have offered monetary facilities and loans to those involved in the housing sector three times as much as the figure.
This way, not only could the money have been saved, but the government could have granted subsidies to applicants.
The country's oil revenues amounted to $800 billion during the tenure of (ex-president Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, of which $14 billion were invested in the housing sector. The question is where the rest of the money is. The previous government did not spend more than $100 billion on national development.
You mean the money was spent on the government's current expenditures?
Mainly on current expenditures and unnecessary matters. I'm sure you have heard about the truck loaded with gold heading toward Turkey. It was true.
Today, we should ask Ahmadinejad to hand over the documents proving that his government has spent the money ($800 billion) on the country's development.
You mentioned sanctions. It seems that some people have benefited from them. Zanganeh said they found 10 people with accusations similar to Babak Zanjani's in the Oil Ministry. It seems that these people do not want the government to resolve foreign policy issues. I think these people and their roles should not be overlooked.
That's correct. Some people are attempting to slow Iran's progress in nuclear talks. The government is very sensitive to foreign policy issues. I do not intend to criticize this.
However, it should also pay the same attention to domestic issues. For resolving domestic issues, the government only needs to study and analyze problems for nine months.
The government should not be distracted by irresponsible people and lawmakers who intend to prove the current administration inefficient.
I'm sure you remember that during (ex-president Mohammad) Khatami's tenure, it was said that the country faced a new crisis every nine days. Of course, at present, people's awareness has increased.
The government should show more determination in making its decisions. This is both in the interest of people and the government.
I believe the current Iranian year (started March 21) will be a turning point in the country's history. During the tenure of Ahmadinejad, the government used the country's development budget as well as the current budget to pay cash subsidies.
However, at present, the country's development budget is no longer used for paying cash subsidies in the second phase of the Subsidy Reform Plan.
Instead, not only has the government increased this budget, but also spends it on establishing infrastructures and implementing industrial and agricultural projects.
I believe if Ahmadinejad's administration was still in charge, it would implement the second phase of Subsidy Reform Plan by paying the same amount of cash subsidies. Ahmadinejad used to say he would double the amount of cash subsidies, while the present government intends to reduce payments.
Do you agree that the government should make people aware of the problems clearly?
It should. However, this is not the government's main concern. The media should undertake this responsibility. Currently, the government's priority is to solve major crises. I think the government is a bit cautious in this regard.
What is the reason for the government's cautiousness?
It is because of the hostile efforts of conservatives (in the parliament). They have shown a large number of "yellow cards" (a warning that can lead to impeachment when the number reaches three) to the government since it was elected.
They even do not wait for the government to devise a plan and implement it, before condemning it.
In the second and concluding part of the interview, ex-roads and transportation minister, Ahmad Khorram elaborates on the legacy of the previous government and challenges facing the government of President Hassan Rouhani.
Khorram also discusses problems concerning Mehr Housing project, the previous government's expenditures and Subsidy Reform Plan.
Excerpts of the interview, conducted by Tadbir 24'sMahsa Jazini, are reproduced below:
What else should the government have told the people?
The government should have informed people about the country's problems in the first two months of his election. For instance, for building 2.15 million Mehr Housing units, $14 billion have been withdrawn from the resources of the Central Bank of Iran which is among the government's creditors.
Furthermore, the money has been spent for building housing units in areas with no access to water, electricity and necessary infrastructures.
The implementation of the project began eight years ago and has not been completed yet. It seems that to execute the plan completely, the present government will have to spend another five years on it.
To complete Mehr Housing project, the government should build 2.3 million housing units (280,000 units per year). The project could have progressed much better.
If the past government had deposited the same amount of money in the banking system instead of spending it on the project, it could have offered monetary facilities and loans to those involved in the housing sector three times as much as the figure.
This way, not only could the money have been saved, but the government could have granted subsidies to applicants.
The country's oil revenues amounted to $800 billion during the tenure of (ex-president Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, of which $14 billion were invested in the housing sector. The question is where the rest of the money is. The previous government did not spend more than $100 billion on national development.
You mean the money was spent on the government's current expenditures?
Mainly on current expenditures and unnecessary matters. I'm sure you have heard about the truck loaded with gold heading toward Turkey. It was true.
Today, we should ask Ahmadinejad to hand over the documents proving that his government has spent the money ($800 billion) on the country's development.
You mentioned sanctions. It seems that some people have benefited from them. Zanganeh said they found 10 people with accusations similar to Babak Zanjani's in the Oil Ministry. It seems that these people do not want the government to resolve foreign policy issues. I think these people and their roles should not be overlooked.
That's correct. Some people are attempting to slow Iran's progress in nuclear talks. The government is very sensitive to foreign policy issues. I do not intend to criticize this.
However, it should also pay the same attention to domestic issues. For resolving domestic issues, the government only needs to study and analyze problems for nine months.
The government should not be distracted by irresponsible people and lawmakers who intend to prove the current administration inefficient.
I'm sure you remember that during (ex-president Mohammad) Khatami's tenure, it was said that the country faced a new crisis every nine days. Of course, at present, people's awareness has increased.
The government should show more determination in making its decisions. This is both in the interest of people and the government.
I believe the current Iranian year (started March 21) will be a turning point in the country's history. During the tenure of Ahmadinejad, the government used the country's development budget as well as the current budget to pay cash subsidies.
However, at present, the country's development budget is no longer used for paying cash subsidies in the second phase of the Subsidy Reform Plan.
Instead, not only has the government increased this budget, but also spends it on establishing infrastructures and implementing industrial and agricultural projects.
I believe if Ahmadinejad's administration was still in charge, it would implement the second phase of Subsidy Reform Plan by paying the same amount of cash subsidies. Ahmadinejad used to say he would double the amount of cash subsidies, while the present government intends to reduce payments.
Do you agree that the government should make people aware of the problems clearly?
It should. However, this is not the government's main concern. The media should undertake this responsibility. Currently, the government's priority is to solve major crises. I think the government is a bit cautious in this regard.
What is the reason for the government's cautiousness?
It is because of the hostile efforts of conservatives (in the parliament). They have shown a large number of "yellow cards" (a warning that can lead to impeachment when the number reaches three) to the government since it was elected.
They even do not wait for the government to devise a plan and implement it, before condemning it.
© Iran Daily 2014
