Re: Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela — the Axis of Unity
On Jul 3, 2007, at 3:13 AM, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
Pillars of world arrogance shaky, president
…apparently that’s not all that’s shaky:
Financial Times - June 30, 2007
‘Pulse of Iran’ sounds a warning for president By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran
President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad says he likes to check Iran’s economic
pulse in his own neighbourhood in eastern Tehran.
He once told MPs in response to criticisms about rising prices to go
and buy their tomatoes from Narmak. And he is fond of mentioning
favourite shopkeepers in Narmak who he claims have helped him to
understand the country’s economic hardships.
“There is an honourable butcher in our neighbourhood who knows all
the economic problems of the people,” Mr Ahmadi-Nejad said recently.
“I get my economic information from him.”
A visit to Narmak this week, however, shows Iranians’ growing
economic frustrations. The imposition of petrol rationing, which
provoked the burning of 10 petrol stations on Tuesday night, came on
top of a recent fuel price rise and steep increases in the cost of
housing and dairy products.
The economic pressures are threatening to tarnish Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s
image as a leader who is close to his people.
“Butter is now 400 tomans [43 cents] from 300 tomans only a week
ago,” said a woman customer at the president’s favourite grocery
shop, shaking her head. “God knows what will happen following petrol
rationing.”
Another shopper, a mother of two, said tearfully: “It’s a month since
I started looking for a flat, but there is no way I can afford the
new rents that have suddenly increased by three or four times.”
Curiously, people in Narmak, who have sold the president goods for
decades, say they respect Mr Ahmadi-Nejad as a decent customer who
does not bargain like most others. But they do not recall being asked
by him about people’s problems, either before or since he became
president.
Reza, a 50-year-old but-cher, says he sold red meat and liver to the
president for about 30 years. “He has not come shopping here since
his presidency [in 2005],” he added. “I respected him like all my
other customers, but he never asked me about anything.”
Another butcher, who asked not to be named, thought Reza was probably
the president’s main but-cher. “I remember once he was angry with me
for selling liver for 100 tomans [11 cents] more than what Mr Reza
charged.”
“The butcher he talked about is like the promises he has made to
people. They are not true,” said one angry customer at the butcher’s,
claiming that he had spent four hours waiting to fill his car with
petrol.
In spite of his frequent references to Narmak, Mr Ahmadi-Nejad has
moved away from the district to another house near the presidential
office in central Tehran. But according to neighbours, he returns
every month or so and visits people in his small alley called
Hedayat, meaning Islamic guidance.
Neighbours do not know which butcher he was referring to but talk of
a 76-year-old grocer who visits the president whenever he shows up in
Hedayat alley and tells him in a few minutes about the recent
problems of his customers.
“He doesn’t ask me questions, but only listens to me,” said Yahya
Esfandiari, the grocer, who clearly holds Mr Ahmadi-Nejad in high
regard, saying the pre-sident “wants to work, but is stopped by some
vipers”.
Mr Esfandiari told the president about the high cost of housing last
time he met the president. “He said the housing problem would be
resolved in four or five months.”