Rostam’s Decision: The Minister Says Goodbye to Raisi’s Government
Rostam’s Decision is a special report on the poor performance of Rostam Ghasemi, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development. Ebrahim Raisi promised the construction of 4 million housing units during his election campaign, despite warnings from economists about the harmfulness of this unprofessional plan. However, more worrying news is emerging from the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, which is responsible for implementing this plan. Some media sources within the country are reporting the possibility of Rostam Ghasemi parting ways with this troublesome ministry.
Since the thirteenth government officially started its work on August 3, 2021, it has consistently retreated from its election promises. The promise to construct 4 million housing units was among these promises, from which the government has repeatedly deviated at various stages.
Rostam’s Stances
1. Insistence on Promises
An examination of Rostam Ghasemi’s positions, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development in Raisi’s government, on this issue shows they have changed multiple times over the past 12 months. For example, at the start of the cabinet’s work, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development strangely insisted on the feasibility of this promise. Ghasemi’s insistence occurred despite economists considering the implementation of this plan to be severely inflationary and against national interests.
2. That Wasn’t Our Intention
However, as time went on, the Minister’s level of insistence significantly subsided. Rostam Ghasemi changed his statements, claiming that the government’s plan would include the renovation of dilapidated areas, meaning the promise Ebrahim Raisi made to the people during the 2020 election campaign was not sincere. Raisi had emphasized that during his four-year presidency, he would build 4 million housing units, one million each year.
But after the stances taken last year by the Minister of Roads and Urban Development in the thirteenth government, it became clear that a significant portion of these 4 million units would be provided through the renovation and reconstruction of dilapidated areas. This is despite the fact that voters were drawn to Raisi with the hope of new housing construction in the country and realizing the dream of homeownership. On the other hand, many mass builders who had set up extensive campaign headquarters for Raisi were loosening their purse strings in hopes of securing projects for hundreds or even thousands of units, but this stance by Rostam Ghasemi severely disappointed both groups of Raisi’s supporters.
3. A Promise That Shrunk
It wasn’t long before the Minister of Roads and Urban Development in the thirteenth government even retreated from the stance of renovating and reconstructing dilapidated areas. At the beginning of this year, he was under immense public pressure demanding one million housing units in the government’s first year. However, in the seven to eight months since his ministry began, the Minister had come to understand well that the government had no resources and would not be able to implement such baseless plans.
Therefore, in the early months of 2022, he completely changed his stance and announced that the conditions for housing construction in the government’s first year were not ready. Following these remarks by the Minister of Roads and Urban Development, the voices of government critics rose once again. Economists emphasized that the government should now admit its mistake during the elections and avoid wasting the country’s resources, especially under conditions where sanctions have broken the people’s backs.
4. Where’s the Land?
These conditions continued until one of the members of the thirteenth government’s cabinet, who is also a member of the IRGC, announced that the necessary land for implementing this plan was not ready. According to Rostam Ghasemi, by August 2022, only 4% of the lands the government had requested from various institutions for affordable housing construction had been realized. According to the Minister of Roads and Urban Development in Raisi’s government, 96% of the government’s demands from governmental and sovereign institutions for land provision have not been pursued.
In simpler terms, it can be said that to date, none of the governmental and sovereign institutions have agreed to hand over their prime lands to the government. In fact, the first and biggest obstacle for Ebrahim Raisi to implement his false promise is the very government he presides over, as institutions and organizations have ignored this governmental demand and turned a blind eye to it.
After Rostam Ghasemi’s recent statements, whispers are now heard from the parliament that apparently, the government intends to complete the unfinished Mehr Housing projects, most of which have progressed beyond 60%, and deliver them to the people under the name of the National Housing Movement plan. In reality, the government intends to ride the waves of populism by reopening a plan that was initiated more than 15 years ago.
It seems that the Mehr Housing, which initially faced widespread criticism and is still incomplete, has become Raisi’s only hope for partially fulfilling his unsupported promise. A plan that is inherently flawed and whose fundamental issues have caused dissatisfaction among many of its owners.
Problems such as poor construction quality, unprincipled and incorrect location selection, lack of allocation of resources and urban facilities after construction in various areas, failure to deliver many unfinished units, and fraud by some contractors are only part of these issues.
Rostam’s Decision
Now, whispers from within the government suggest that Rostam Ghasemi intends to part ways with a cabinet he joined in hopes of securing the Ministry of Oil position. Some informed sources report dissatisfaction within the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development with the current Minister’s performance. On the other hand, some believe Ghasemi is strongly complaining about the progress of the National Housing Movement plan.
Evidence suggests that it appears the Minister intends to shirk responsibility before things get more complicated. However, such an action by the current Minister of Roads and Urban Development might be an attempt to secure his desired position in the Ministry of Oil. Most observers believe that the current Oil Minister is also on the edge of a cliff, and the scenario of replacing Rostam Ghasemi with Javad Owji is not far-fetched. But a point that should not be overlooked is the uncertainty of the housing promise for young people, to whom Raisi said in the election debates, ‘Marriage from you, housing from us.’