Ministry is not a place for training ministers: Larijani

August 11, 2009 - 0:0

TEHRAN -– Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani stated here on Monday that ministry is not a place for training ministers.

Larijani made the remarks as President Ahmadinejad is expected to name his proposed cabinet ministers within the next few days.
“Ministry is not a place where someone learns how to work,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a Majlis meeting.
Larijani added, “It is important for us that the ministers have good revolutionary records, efficiency and religious thought.”
“Ministers should be individuals who can defend the national interests best,” he emphasized.
Also, in a separate interview with the Mehr News Agency on Monday, Larijani pointed out that President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad’s reluctance to consult with the Majlis over cabinet selection is “not a flaw but unprecedented”.
Principlist faction lists criteria for examining proposed ministers
Hossein Sobhaninia announced here on Monday that the principlist faction of the Majlis has prepared a letter stating the criteria for examining the qualifications of the proposed ministers.
“The letter will be given to the president in the majority faction’s meeting with him today (Monday),” Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Deputy Chairman told the MNA on Monday.
“Examining the interaction of the Majlis and the administration on cabinet selection and the views of the Majlis in this regard is on the agenda of the meeting,” he said.
Nominating Kordan ‘highly unlikely’
Javad Arian-Manesh stated on Monday that nominating former interior minister Ali Kordan for a ministerial post is “highly unlikely”.
“Nominating Kordan is highly unlikely but if the president nominates him, he has no chance to win a vote of confidence vote in the Majlis,” Arian-Manesh told the MNA.
He also predicted that Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli, Education Minister Alireza Ali-Ahmadi, and Industries Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian, and Agriculture Minister Mohammadreza Eskandari will most probably fail to win the parliamentary approval in nominated again for the new cabinet.
However, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Energy Minister Parviz Fattah, and Housing and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Saeedi-Kia will be able to get the confidence vote due to their good records, he noted.
MP writes to president on qualifications of education, science ministers
Majlis Education and Research Committee Chairman Ali Abbaspour has written a letter to Ahmadinejad outlining the qualifications that the next education and science ministers should have.
“It is hoped that the individuals who are nominated be faithful, efficient, and qualified and able to manage the important sections of the nation’s education and science and technology,” he said.
The letter added, “Undoubtedly, the existence of such figures at the head of Education Ministry, Ministry of Science and Technology, and Health Ministry … will make realizing the objectives of the 20-Year Outlook Plan easier.”
Abbaspour also called on the president to interact more with the Majlis on the cabinet makeup.
Political persuasions versus expert views
MP Jamshid Ansari said parliamentary committees’ expert views on qualifications of a minister are overshadowed by MPs’ political persuasions.
“We should note that in Iran’s parliamentary system, the political persuasions of the representatives are more powerful than the views of the committees,” he told the MNA.
The MP added this will affect the process of giving confidence votes to ministerial nominees because almost any MP votes based on his own tastes.
The president can consult with influential factions in the Majlis and nominate individuals who do not have bad records in the minds of the MPs, Ansari said