It Is Easy to Make Claims,

It Is Easy to Make Claims,

In politics, one of the fundamental questions is: Who gave someone permission to speak on behalf of the people?

This question is particularly relevant in the case of Reza Pahlavi, someone who has been speaking for years about the future of Iran and its people and sometimes presents himself as the official spokesperson for the Iranian people.

But the simple question I raised before is this: Who gave him this representation?

Reza Pahlavi, like every other human being, has the right to express his political views. He also has a number of followers, which is undeniable. However, having some followers does not give him the right to speak on behalf of all Iranians.

As an Iranian, I did not give him permission to speak on my behalf.

This is not merely a passing opinion; it is a matter of my human identity and my right to determine my own political destiny. I have the right to choose who represents me and who does not. If the president of my country speaks at international forums as the official representative, as the President of Iran, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, did, I can consider him the representative of the country in that official capacity.

But Reza Pahlavi did not receive this elected position from me or from any other Iranian who disagrees with him.

So how can he claim that this is what “the people of Iran” want?

Which people of Iran?

Iran is not a nation of Reza Pahlavi supporters. Iran is a society made up of millions of people with diverse experiences, beliefs, social classes, and political views. Workers, employees, merchants, professors, students, farmers, the poor, the wealthy, the elderly, the young, the educated, and the illiterate — all are part of this society.

Throughout my life, I have been in close contact with many of these groups. I do not know society merely through reports, polls, articles, or written texts. A large part of my understanding of society has been shaped by the real lives of people and my conversations with them. That is why when someone speaks of “the people of Iran,” I ask myself: Which people do they mean?

If a very small part of the population supports Reza Pahlavi, that does not mean he represents the entire Iranian people. No one can attribute the support of a particular group to all Iranians. There is a great difference between a dream and reality.

He can say: “This is my opinion.”

If he says: “My supporters want this,” then the extent and scope of that support can be debated.

But when he says: “The people of Iran want this,” we are no longer dealing with a personal opinion; we are dealing with a claim to represent millions of people.

And I am one of those people who says: I have not given him such permission.

I cannot even speak on behalf of my own family; every personal opinion deserves respect.

Likewise, Reza Pahlavi cannot attribute his personal opinion or the opinion of his supporters to the entire Iranian people.

A person's family name or past is not the vote of the people today.

The past may be part of a country's history, but in itself it does not politically represent any individual today.

I also have my own past. But who I am today is the product of my life. One cannot live forever in the name of the past and expect others to define one's identity and choices based on that past.

The people of Iran are not the past of one family.

Forty-eight years have passed since the fall of the Pahlavi regime, a past in which he had no role; in fact, it was the Iranian people themselves who forced the Pahlavi family to flee Iran. Therefore, the past cannot be considered a blank check that determines his future.

Therefore, until the Iranian people themselves, through a clear and credible mechanism, determine their political representative, no one has the right to claim to represent them.

His claim is pure fantasy. His title is a lie. And the existence of his followers does not mean that he represents the Iranian people. Representation is granted exclusively by the people, not by those who claim to represent them.

Therefore, I have not given him permission to speak on my behalf.

This is my right. And I recognize the same right for every Iranian.

Author: Goya Roshan

All Rights Reserved 

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