ID :
185101
Sun, 05/29/2011 - 10:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/185101
The shortlink copeid
Iran's MPs discussing plan to merge Culture Ministry and CHTHO
TEHRAN, May 29 (MNA) -- A proposal to merge Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization has recently been presented by 90 MPs.
Through the merger of the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO, the MPs intend to impose their supervision over the duties that have been defined for the CHTHO, which is managed by a director who is normally a vice president and a cabinet member.
“If the CHTHO is amalgamated with one of the ministries, the MPs will be able to demand explanations about the CHTHO’s missions,” one of the MPs, Mehrdad Ba’uj-Lahuti, told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency on Saturday.
Meanwhile, some MPs have criticized the plan to combine the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO.
“Any action to slim down governmental agencies is in the line with the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2010-2015), but it should not be railroaded through,” said MP Hassan Malek-Mohammadi, who is an opponent of the proposal.
In 2008, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad strongly objected to a similar proposal to combine the two institutions.
At the time, he said that the plan for the merger of the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO was not “to the benefit of the country.”
“In addition, it is against the Constitution, because the president is in charge of administrative and employment affairs, and any plan to establish or combine organizations must be presented by the administration,” he added.
Many organizations working in the fields of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts also raised objections to the plan in 2008, and consequently, the Majlis dropped the plan.
The Majlis was recently outraged over President Ahmadinejad’s decision to merge the Oil Ministry and the Energy Ministry, and the Industries and Mines Ministry with the Commerce Ministry in early May. Previously, he had combined the Welfare Ministry with the Labor Ministry.
It seems that the Majlis is using the plan to amalgamate the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO to rebuke President Ahmadinejad for his recent decision to merge a number of ministries without parliamentary approval.
Through the merger of the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO, the MPs intend to impose their supervision over the duties that have been defined for the CHTHO, which is managed by a director who is normally a vice president and a cabinet member.
“If the CHTHO is amalgamated with one of the ministries, the MPs will be able to demand explanations about the CHTHO’s missions,” one of the MPs, Mehrdad Ba’uj-Lahuti, told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency on Saturday.
Meanwhile, some MPs have criticized the plan to combine the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO.
“Any action to slim down governmental agencies is in the line with the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2010-2015), but it should not be railroaded through,” said MP Hassan Malek-Mohammadi, who is an opponent of the proposal.
In 2008, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad strongly objected to a similar proposal to combine the two institutions.
At the time, he said that the plan for the merger of the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO was not “to the benefit of the country.”
“In addition, it is against the Constitution, because the president is in charge of administrative and employment affairs, and any plan to establish or combine organizations must be presented by the administration,” he added.
Many organizations working in the fields of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts also raised objections to the plan in 2008, and consequently, the Majlis dropped the plan.
The Majlis was recently outraged over President Ahmadinejad’s decision to merge the Oil Ministry and the Energy Ministry, and the Industries and Mines Ministry with the Commerce Ministry in early May. Previously, he had combined the Welfare Ministry with the Labor Ministry.
It seems that the Majlis is using the plan to amalgamate the Culture Ministry and the CHTHO to rebuke President Ahmadinejad for his recent decision to merge a number of ministries without parliamentary approval.
