• National

    Need for More e-Governance, Less Bureaucracy

    The growth of e-governance can help curb corruption in state institutions, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, calling for more and meaningful efforts to boost transparency across the political spectrum.     

    Reducing the bloated bureaucracy is an integral part of the campaign against corruption, the president told a gathering of senior government managers in Tehran, his official website reported.   

    "With proper planning we must make association in and with corruption impossible or at the least very difficult," he added. 

    *** Communication Gap 

    The president criticized the lack of communication between the people and authorities and urged the latter to properly inform the masses of their plans and decisions to resolve the problems facing the country. "If we convince the people instead of threatening them, we can win their support."    

    Elaborating the point, he said, "We hardly speak to the people, and government managers have taken a vow of silence. I don't know who told them to do so. I don't know what is it that they are anxious about," suggesting that some officials are being intimidated by unnamed "supervisory bodies".   

    *** Pre-Emptive Move 

    Commenting on the government's decision to help stem the unprecedented decline in the value of the rial, Rouhani said the move was aimed at limiting the fallout from the United States' anticipated withdrawal from the nuclear deal. 

    On April 9, Iran moved to formally unify the foreign exchange rates and banned forex trade outside the banking system after the national  currency plunged to an all-time low on mounting concerns over a return of economic sanctions. 

    US President Donald Trump has threatened to exit a 2015 nuclear agreement Tehran made with world powers unless the agreement is revised. The unilateral US sanctions will resume unless Trump issues new waivers to suspend them before May 12. 

    "The Americans had hoped to see Iran's domestic market disturbed in the event of them taking a step against the nation on May 12," Rouhani said, adding that the new monetary measures had dashed their hopes.  

    "The people need not worry at all. I assure them, regardless of any decision by the Americans, their plot has been neutralized through the implementation of the new policy. We will stabilize the (forex) market with this policy." 

    The president said added measures will be introduced in the future to help promote transparency and stability in the market. 

    *** Messenger Apps 

    In the wide-ranging speech, he said authorities have a duty to respect citizens' rights, including the right to information through communications tools, adding that some want to "keep them in the dark".

    It has been reported over the weeks that top decision-making bodies may block the popular Telegram messenger service with the aim of “safeguarding national interest” and removing the monopoly of the messaging app used by an estimated 40 million Iranians. 

    Some officials have criticized Telegram's "destructive" role in anti-government protests in January, and the app was temporarily shut down during the demonstrations that led to violence. However, some users reached it through proxies and VPN services. 

    "It is right that no network should have a monopoly, but at the same time people's lives should not be disrupted," Rouhani said. 

    Thousands of businesses in Iran, particularly small e-commerce businesses and cottage industries, depend on Telegram for their needs  and livelihood.