The Story Of Robert’s Rules In Iran Continues

The 17th monthly regular meeting of the sponsors’ group for establishing the Main Association took place on Thursday, June 17, 2020, (Khordad 27, 1399, according to the Iranian calendar), in Tehran, Iran.

Those who follow closely the promotion of Robert’s Rules of Order in Iran since about 13 years ago, would acknowledge that the establishment of the Main Association, especially by such honest and credible social activists, is a real turning point in this process.

It needs to emphasize that the main objective of the Main Association is to build up a club where all Iranian social activists could exercise and practice the common parliamentary law as described in Robert’s Rules of Order, during the process of building up the first Iranian association based on the same rules of order.

Everybody who doesn’t know the general parliamentary law as one of the mains foundations of Western civilization and doesn’t know the nations lacking this tradition could not imagine and understand the impossibility of rule of law and democracy in such nations.

Briefly speaking, a bit of parliamentary procedure goes back as far as the ancient Greeks, but its basic content was mainly formed by centuries of trial and error in the English Parliament, from which the name "parliamentary procedure’ comes.

Then, the historical problem the nations lacking this tradition are facing is how they could or should localize the parliamentary procedure?

Perhaps someone asks whether there isn’t a parliament in almost any country across the world? It is a significant question.

You know, since more than a hundred years ago the Iranian Parliament has been established, but any observer can easily consider that it is a fake parliament!

Indeed, the result of more than a hundred years struggle for rule of law is a tyrant religious despotism destroying the latest dreams for even a normal republic. Why?

Obviously, there are a lot of arguments about this historic question, but as far as it relates to the point, namely in regard with the promotion of Robert’s Rules of Order in Iran, it may be said that more than one hundred years experiences of struggling for rule of law in Iran show that the emergence of the general parliamentary law in Iran. as it emerged spontaneously in the English Parliament, would be surely impossible.

As a noteworthy example, in 1581, for the first time, the first parliamentary principle was discovered: One subject at a time: when a motion has been made that matter must receive a determination by the question, or be laid aside by the general sense of the House before another be entertained.

Based on this axiom, a lot of logical other rules of parliamentary procedure emerged gradually in the English Parliament. But the same axiom isn’t yet known in Iranian assemblies at all. And only after acquaintance with the axiom through Robert’s Rules of Order, the attentions are attracted to this simple and evident point.

Then the significant question is whether the Iranian assemblies welcome Robert’s Rules of Order or not? The answer depends.

More than 13 years unique experiences in Iran show that if someone understands Rubert’s Rules of Order deeply and professionally, on one hand, and, more importantly, understands unique Iranian characteristic assemblies, on the other hand, who may become able to preside a meeting in Iran more and more effectively and efficiently.

This is exactly what happened over recent years in Iran. Metaphorically be said: an invisible civilizational mutation!

Someone who was publishing specialized magazines for various Iranian civil associations and was faced with a historical question about historic failure to establish good association and was forced to introduce good answers to the questions of his readers, during his long time studies about the structural factors effecting on the matter, suddenly faced a new world: Robert’s Rules of Order.

It was the start point of the invisible civilizational mutation its full interesting story will be narrated afterward. But at this moment it is enough saying that the decision was made in the 17th monthly regular meeting of the sponsors’ group for establishing the Main Association took place on Thursday, June 17, 2020, probably was a turning point in the process.

The decision seems is simple: The group agreed that every month at most five new members were invited to join the establishing association. What is the significance of this decision?

After more than one decade endeavor, the sponsors who are all professional credible social activists, with their last decision, indeed, acknowledged the new method for presiding meeting based on localized Robert’s Rules of Order in Iran.

Thus, in the space of every month, the number of the participants in the meetings will be increased and at the end of this year the meeting will take place with about 50 people all of them are activists and eager to learn and practice parliamentary procedure and promote them across the nation. this is a turning point.

Yes, the story of Robert’s Rules in Iran continues. . .