Amir Mossadegh Katouzian - Radio Farda - May 24, 2019
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| Mohammad Khatami in a meeting with some of his supporters in May 2013. |
A recent statement by Mohammad Khatami, the former President of Iran, during a meeting with members of the Tehran City Council has sparked controversy.
On Saturday, May 11, during this meeting, Khatami said:
"It might not be politically appropriate at present, but the most desirable form of democratic governance is federal administration. However, according to our constitution, we cannot be federal."
The second part of Khatami's statement, in which he described federal administration as the "most desirable form of democratic governance," has drawn criticism from over 200 activists across various political spectrums inside and outside Iran.
In a critical text titled "No to Federalism, No to National Disintegration," these political activists wrote:
"No pre-existing country or government inherently characterized by a unitary political system has ever transformed into a federal country—except for Iraq, which was the product of colonial boundary-making, later a victim of Ba'athist dictatorship, and subsequently subjected to foreign intervention. Indeed, Iraq is now clearly at risk of collapse due to federalism."
They added that "Mr. Khatami explicitly disregards Iran's status as a pre-existing country and thus considers the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the sole obstacle to federalizing Iran. According to him, were it not for this obstacle, federalism could be prescribed even for an ancient and unified country like Iran."
The signatories also questioned the basis of Khatami's claims, asking on what specific research or practical experience his suggestion was grounded. Furthermore, they pointed to issues such as corruption, embezzlement, foreign policy, outdated industries, the depreciation of the national currency, civil and political freedoms, and ideological, religious, and gender-based discrimination, asking:
"How could federalism possibly address the numerous problems that, according to the signatories, individuals like Mr. Khatami have created for the country?"
The statement further warned that such remarks endanger Iran, could lead to national disintegration, and, as the signatories put it, might even result in internal and ethnic conflicts.
Alongside this statement, Javad Tabatabai, a scholar of political science and an author specializing in the history of political thought in Iran, who has been residing in Washington for some time, published a letter on Telegram addressed to Mohammad Khatami. In this letter, he questioned Khatami's and the Tehran City Council members' qualifications to discuss such topics. He urged Khatami not to sacrifice what he termed the "supreme interests of the country" for the "interests of the group led by Mr. Khatami."
Javad Tabatabai deemed Khatami's remarks to have "harmful consequences," urging him to respectfully withdraw his statements about federalism and advise his associates to refrain from engaging in such discussions.
The link to the original article in Farsi on Radio Farda:
انتقادها از محمد خاتمی برای طرح مفهوم «فدرالیسم»