Ayatollah Khamenei says authorities must fight corruption vigorously

Tehran, The Gulf Observer: “If an official does not have the courage to confront the corrupt inside the country, he/she will not have the courage to fight the oppressors outside the country,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Saturday morning.

He made the remarks in Imam Khomeini Hussainia, Tehran, where Iranian workers gathered from around the country to meet the Supreme Leader on the occasion of the Labor Week.

“It is hoped that the Popular Government and the revolutionary parliament will pursue the fight against the seven-headed dragon of corruption,” he noted.

He highlighted the need to create a direct relationship between “income” and “work”, saying long-term plans are needed to achieve this ambitious goal.

“This is a very difficult task. This means that much of the asset and windfalls is ill-earned. We must stop the culture of accumulating unearned wealth in the country. This is a long-term and difficult task, but it must be done,” he said.

The Supreme Leader further urged officials to fight corruption and bribery, cut out the middlemen in the economy, and prevent profiteers from accumulating wealth through their special connections.

“All of these are detrimental to the society. Income must be directly related to work,” he stressed.

“Work is the vitality of the society. Work is the backbone of people’s lives. Without work, there is nothing. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the facilities we use that our lives depend upon are all the results of work. Who does the work? The worker. Therefore, what is the value of the worker? The value of the worker is the value of the society’s vitality, the value of people’s life.”