I was watching TV last night. No big surprise, it can happen to anyone. Talk of the night was the upcoming Elections, and the amazing part was that the word you heard again and again from all kinds of people was the word LAW. “We are all advocates of the Law,” said the Leader. “Law must be abided,” stressed the President. “Only Law!” This, from the Parliamentary Chairman. “We have disqualified the candidates according to the Law,” announced the Speaker of the Guardian Council. “Monitoring committees have neglected the Law,” regretted the Minister of Interior. The anchormen raved on the necessity of obeying the Law and people with the interviewer’s mike jammed into their faces were all for the execution of the Law. I don’t think they support the Law so zealously even in Switzerland!
In a nutshell, I was astonished to find out what a wonderful thing this Law was and we didn’t know it all those years we spent at the Law School. We thought Law was a set of rules and regulations defined specifically, expertly and oh so carefully by the representatives of people -embodied as the Parliament- to handle the society affairs, with knowledgeable experts ready to interpret it according to certain criteria, if it was necessary.
But we didn’t know that this Law could have so many other facets and benefits as well. Like, contrary to what is assumed in the Science of Law, the Lawmaker does not necessarily need to be wise, and the Laws might be made clumsily, carelessly and abundantly, so that anyone can have his own personal interpretation. This is very commendable in its own rights, as it increases the number of Law-abiding citizens and leaves only a handful of outlaws at large, and with a little work they too can find their favorite Laws or interpretations, and proudly join the Lawful community. Only one tiny bit of problem: There are enough Laws or interpretations to satisfy all people, just the kind of situation we have now with the Elections.
What’s more, we are now informed that no specific criterion is required to interpret the Law, so it seems our days at the Law School were a complete waste. We know now that in interpreting the Law we should make sure that liberalism, pluralism, different versions, different times and places, convenience and all the rest are given careful consideration.
Truth is, like any other tool, Law can be either used or abused, and abusing the Law is a crime itself. Law, if practiced rightly, can bring order to society, but leave it with the wrong people and you will be left with nothing but corruption and chaos. The new meanings of statutory Law and Law abiding are imported concepts in Iran. Here, the Ruler and the Ruled do not regard the Law as a necessity, but an adornment to their own opinions. They shape up a decision in their minds first and then look for the fitting Law, when it should work the other way round. And the result of such an approach is what you see all around you. One qualifies, the next disqualifies. One is sometimes qualified and sometimes disqualified, and all in the name of the same Law.
As they say, there is a law, and there are things beyond the Law.
