The election of the presidium of 12 specialized commissions of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has sounded a major alarm for Khuzestan province. Khuzestan, recognized as one of the most important provinces in the country in terms of valuable resources, key industries, and strategic and security position, has only managed to secure one first vice-presidency and two second vice-presidencies in this election. None of the 18 representatives of Khuzestan have been able to secure the chairmanship of a specialized commission.
Reduced Effectiveness of Khuzestan Representatives
This situation clearly indicates the reduced ability of the province's representatives to defend the rights of the people of Khuzestan in the important parliamentary commissions. The result of electing 18 representatives who have failed to maintain Khuzestan's traditional position as one of the influential poles of parliament has today brought Khuzestan to a stage of decline in terms of the effectiveness of its representatives.
The Role of Factional Alliances in Elections
Among the 18 representatives of Khuzestan, only Amir Hayat-Moqaddam reached the position of first vice-president of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, and Mohammad Molavi and Mohammad Kaab-Omir became the second vice-presidents of the Education and Energy Commissions, respectively. These selections are considered more the result of factional and party bargaining and alliances in parliament than the ability, influence, and political standing of these representatives.
Khuzestan, which these days, in addition to the unbearable summer heat, is once again under the shadow of security threats and missile attacks, has not had a share in sustainable development for years. Meanwhile, the representatives who have entered parliament with the votes of the people of this province, instead of defending the rights of the people, have been more in pursuit of personal, factional, and economic interests.
Concerns Over Corruption and Ineffectiveness
The inclusion of the names of some Khuzestan representatives in cases of misconduct and corruption over the past two years has heightened concerns that the twelfth parliament has become the point of collapse of the province's political position in parliament, and the continuation of this trend will even eliminate the minimum functionality of representatives in pursuing the legitimate demands of the people of Khuzestan.
Unproductive Demand for Shares
The fundamental question is how representatives of various electoral districts of Khuzestan always have a strong presence in meetings and negotiations related to demanding shares from energy sector projects, yet in the Energy Commission elections, not a single one of them succeeds in securing the chairmanship of this commission; a commission whose decisions have a more direct impact on the fate of Khuzestan than any other province.
Infrastructure Problems and Ineffectiveness of Representatives
Frequent power outages, the deterioration and destruction of vital infrastructure, the uncertainty of construction projects, and the accumulation of unfulfilled promises are more the result of the inability of representatives who either have no concern for the people of their electoral district or lack the necessary ability for political interaction and pursuing the province's demands at high levels of national decision-making.
Representatives and Absence in Electoral Districts
The 18 representatives who, apart from receiving salaries and benefits and enjoying power and privilege arrangements, have not had a significant output for the people of the province, and even in these difficult days, many of them show no inclination to be present in their electoral districts. It seems they prefer the comfort of cool offices of contracting companies and economic enterprises in Tehran over facing the harsh reality of Khuzestan's deep wounds and problems.
Final Question
The final question is how long the wealthy and strategic province of Khuzestan must pay the price for the ineffectiveness, self-interest, and corruption of representatives who make thousands of promises to the people during election campaigns, but as soon as they sit on the parliamentary seats, the first thing they forget are those very promises made to the people who have long been left with poverty, deprivation, and dissatisfaction as their share of the country's vast wealth.
