MP: Ahmadinejad Sacrificing Everything for Mashai

January 30, 2010 • 11:24+11:0001

MP: Ahmadinejad Sacrificing Everything for Mashai

TEHRAN, Jan 29 (ICANA) – The head of the clerical faction of Majlis advised Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to part ways with the head of the presidential office Esfandyar Rahim Mashai before it was too late.

Hojjatoleslam Mohammad-Taqi Rahbar pointed to Mashai’s meeting with an Iranian actresses at the presidential office and said, “Anyone with a bit of Principlist zeal will not approve of the lowly acts of the Head of the Presidential office [Mashai]. All Principlists especially the President’s true supporters are ashamed that such a character is running the office of the president.”Rahbar criticized the $80,000 loan given by Mashai to actress Hedyeh Tehrani to hold her first photo exhibition. “I don’t know what an actress’s exhibition has to do with the head of the presidential office that he has to fund it with $80,000 from the treasury. These loans are handed out by him [Mashai] at a time when many farmers are struggling with repeated droughts and are starving. Yet the government refuses to give them a $1,000 loan.””Unfortunately, the Sources of Emulations are very unhappy with Mr. Ahmadinejad due to the presence of such individuals [Mashai] in the government. In a recent trip to Qom with a number of cleric lawmakers, whenever we raised the issue of improving interaction between Majlis and the Sources, a number of Sources criticized the cultural approaches of the government and said the lack of interaction would remain so long as these approaches are unchanged.””Unfortunately Mr. Ahmadinejad has sacrificed the whole of the government and establishment for him [Mashai] and despite the heavy price of supporting Mashai for his government, he [Ahmadinejad] insists on it [supporting Mashai].”

“Mr. President have it out with Mr. Mashai. If you like him that much give him a responsibility that requires some reading so he will not [have the time to] interfere in things he should not.”