The Council of Ministers recently warned government employees against opposing state policies and programs through statements, speeches or on TV talk shows. The warning said that violators would be liable to punishment in accordance with the law. The relevant law, according to the ministers, will be applied to any employee — civilian or military — who opposes state policies through direct or indirect participation.
My initial reaction to the statement was optimistic. Work is grounded in ethics that require individuals to show loyalty to the institution which employs them. For example, an employee working for the Ministry of Health has two options in case a clash of interest arises: He can either support ministry policies and express an opposing opinion from within or quit the job and criticize from outside. In a country such as the United States, if a government employee’s beliefs and convictions clash with government policies, the only thing for him to do is to resign and explain his reasons. Once he is no longer a government employee, he is then free to criticize government policies.
I don’t know the reasons behind our government’s recent move, especially at this particular time when the world is watching our moves toward reform. The specific moves are the holding of municipal elections and the progress being made in opening up the media.
The timing as well as the content of the decision have raised many questions. The decision did not specify exactly who is a government employee. Are government employees only those who work in government ministries? What about university teachers and members of the Shoura Council? Are they also government employees?
In Western countries, teachers working in universities that are partly or fully financed by the government are not considered government employees. This is because the nature and ethics, as well as what is understood to be the essence, of their job requires them to be independent and to enjoy full freedom to express their views, conduct research and offer criticism according to their beliefs and convictions. This should also be the case in our country; a university teacher or a Shoura Council member should not be considered a government employee.
The world is watching us to see how credible and serious we are in our moves toward reform and openness. Our society needs to hear a range of voices and ideas in order to free us from the outdated approach to things that, in the past, have produced a culture of violence and intolerance and an absolute denial and rejection of anything that is different.
