Abolfazl Qadiani: How Do You Have a Budget for a ‘Corrupt’ IRGC but Not for Teachers?
Abolfazl Qadiani, a political activist based in Iran, issued a statement protesting the suppression of teachers’ demands and questioned why the government claims it lacks budget for teacher salary reclassification and equalization, while the IRGC’s budget increases several-fold.
This political activist, coinciding with teacher protests in various Iranian cities and the suppression of protesters in some cities, issued a statement on Sunday, May 1st, saying: “Today’s despot of Iran, Ali Khamenei, his associates, supporters, and his appointed government not only fail to respond to teachers’ legitimate and legal demands, but also cannot tolerate these peaceful, non-violent, and lawful gatherings.”
He stated that “Iran’s autocrats and their oppressors” are under the illusion that through these attacks and arrests, they can discourage teachers from their legal demands and force them into silence.
This political activist referred to statements by Iran’s President and Parliament Speaker about the lack of budget for teacher salary reclassification and equalization, and posed the question: How do you have resources to increase the IRGC’s budget “several and many times over” and bestow it on commanders “corrupted to the bone” of the IRGC, but lack budget for teacher ranking and salary equalization, which is considered the minimum cost basket?
Mr. Qadiani further referenced a leaked audio file of IRGC commanders, calling it “a glimpse of structural and institutionalized corruption in the regime.”
This 50-minute audio file, most of which focused on a secret meeting and conversation between Mohammad-Ali (Aziz) Jafari, former IRGC Commander-in-Chief, and Sadegh (Mirza-Hassan) Zolghadr, former IRGC Deputy for Economics and Development in 1397 (2018) about corruption in forces related to the IRGC Quds Force, IRGC Cooperative Foundation, and Tehran Municipality, was first published last February by Radio Farda.
Mr. Qadiani says if “half of the budget increase” allocated to the IRGC, or “one percent” of the assets of institutions under the Supreme Leader’s supervision were added to the education budget, it could enable the teacher salary equalization and reclassification demanded by teachers.
Conciding with International Workers’ Day and Teachers’ Day in Iran, teachers and workers held protest gatherings in various cities of the country on Sunday and chanted demands for justice.
Based on images shared on social media, teachers in cities including Shiraz, Arak, Kermanshah, Noorabad Farsi, Sanandaj, Khomeinishahr, and dozens of other large and small cities gathered, and in some cities including Marivan, Sanandaj, and Langarud, a heavy security presence was established from early morning hours with the deployment of security forces throughout the city.
Meanwhile, gatherings in some cities turned violent with police intervention, and in Bushehr, security forces attacked the teachers’ gathering, assaulted participants, and arrested some of them.
Mr. Qadiani stated that so far, the legitimate and legal demands of teachers have received only “empty rhetoric and unfulfilled promises,” until they were pushed to desperation by this obvious injustice and oppression, forcing them to take to the streets on a very large scale, organizing protest gatherings in over one hundred cities repeatedly against the government’s failure to respond to their demands.
Source: Radio Farda
