Iran’s former president Mohammad Khatami has fuelled speculation of a possible comeback by bluntly accusing his successor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, of peddling false statistics to hide rising inflation and unemployment. Khatami, who was regarded as a reformist, said Iran’s worsening economic woes did not tally with the rosy picture painted by the government, and warned that officially endorsed ”lies” would destroy Iranians’ trust in the Islamic system.
Speaking at the financial paper Sarmayeh, he said: ”Unfortunately, it has become customary that the real issues are concealed and portrayed in some other ways. If there is inflation … it will not remove the reality if you say it doesn’t exist, or alter scientific standards to achieve a desired result. If society feels it is being told lies, it will damage mutual trust, not only between elites and decision-makers but also between people and the authorities.”
Central bank statistics put inflation at 15,8% but independent economists say it is well over 20% and official figures exclude sharp rises in housing and rent.
President Ahmadinejad, who vowed to alleviate poverty by redistributing Iran’s oil wealth, has rejected criticism about rising prices, blaming Khatami’s government of 1997 to 2005.
Khatami’s comments represent his first explicit criticism of his successor and follow predictions that he might run in the 2009 presidential election. Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former aide to Khatami, said the remarks were intended to prepare for a reformist revival at the March parliamentary elections.
Ahmadinejad’s radical backers have attacked Khatami, fearing his popularity among liberal voters. Ultra-conservatives wanted him defrocked as a cleric after he was pictured shaking hands with a woman during a trip to Italy. – Guardian Unlimited Â