The 829th meeting of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution (SCCR) was held on Tuesday, 30th June 2020, with the attendance of President Dr. Rouhani, Head of Judiciary, Hujjat al-Islam val Muslemin Raisi, and members of the SCCR.
Prof. Saied Reza Ameli, the Secretary of the SCCR highlighted three main topics that were discussed at the meeting: first, the responsibility defined by the President on the subject of the ‘Second Step’, as framed by the Supreme Leader on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Republic. Second, the topic of ‘leap in production’, with an awareness that labels given to a particular year by the Supreme Leader are not limited to that year and signify the start of a process. Third, required appointment to the board of trustees of Medical Science Academy.
‘Second Step’
On the first topic of discussion, Prof. Ameli said: “the ‘Second Step’ of the revolution, framed by the Supreme Leader at the end of the first forty years of the revolution, is an outlook for the second forty years. In practice, this vision transfers the previous 20-year planning system of the country, to a forty-year planning system.”
The SCCR secretary added that a forty-year planning system, broken into five-year milestones focused on cultural, social and economic development of the country, is in need of expanding horizons. Prof. Ameli stated that “it is for the first time in Iran’s history that a long-term forty-year plan is being drafted”.
Prof. Ameli stated that President Rouhani, the Chairman of SCCR, instructed the secretariat of the council to form a committee for drafting the plans under the ‘Second Step’.
The Secretary of SCCR noted that of the seven key strategies set out by the visionary Supreme Leader under the ‘Second Step’, five of them are dominated by cultural aspects. These include: i) Spirituality and morality; ii) Justice and the fight against corruption; iii) independence and freedom; iv) national dignity, foreign relations and distancing from the enemies of the revolution; v) lifestyle.
Prof. Ameli added that given the cultural foundations of these five themes, it is the responsibility of the SCCR to focus on planning and policymaking on these key issues.
The remaining two key themes of the ‘Second Step’ are i) science and research; and ii) Economics – both of which are related to science and technology, and are knowledge-based. The Secretary of SCCR stated that the only policy-making body which can establish the framework for the second-step is the SCCR. Needless to say, developing the culture of dialogue on the topic of ‘Second Step’ is the responsibility of all governance and social bodies.
Leap in production
The second topic of discussion was ‘leap in production’ the name given by the Supreme Leader given to the current Iranian calendar year. The Secretary of the SCCR stated that the labels given by the Supreme Leader are not limited to that year and signify the start of a process. Prof. Ameli stated that it is predicted that important developments will occur on the issue of ‘leap in production’ in the year ahead.
Prof. Ameli added that “given the animosity of some foreign countries against the Islamic Republic of Iran with the intention of preventing its progress, great achievements can be reached through a leap in production and removing the barriers to production”.
The Secretary of SCCR stated that the broad themes for an official document on ‘leap in production’ were discussed, with a focus on the cultural, science and technology aspects of the topic. He added: if the key elements of economic issues are considered to be only economic, we will not make any progress. Prof. Ameli stated that on the topic of leap in production, bureaucracy is a key issue. The bureaucratic system and red-tape is a source of attrition for the general public. He added that ‘smart economics’ provides the framework for shortening and automising processes. The Secretary added that the multi-dimensional aspect of ‘leap in production’ is undeniable and that team-work, respect for law, strengthening productivity and other issues with cultural dimension are foreseen in this plan.
Prof. Ameli stated that the draft for the official document on ‘leap in production’ includes 12 clear goals, 24 policies and 78 programs. He added that following the first discussion, important changes will be incorporated in the document.
