The lack of accurate data and the simplistic approach of senior government officials have made interactions between the private sector and the government challenging, leading to a “war of narratives.” Private sector stakeholders suggest that offering advice to the government and avoiding isolation from it could be solutions to these issues.
According to Iran digital economy annotation, Farshid Golzadeh, CEO of Goldiran Home Appliances, initiated a discussion at the E-commerce Association’s “Common Ground” panel by asking why the digital economy in Iran remains underdeveloped.
Ali Kolahi, Chairman of the Iran Chamber of Commerce’s Industry Commission, stated: “As someone from the electrical industry syndicate, I understand the challenges well. People generally fear what they do not understand, and the government is no exception. As Mohammad Fazeli said, if the government fears an economic actor, it will quickly bury it. Instead of asking which sectors are harmed by government interference, we should ask which ones are not.”
Masoud Tabatabaei, CEO of Digikala, remarked that digital economy stakeholders have failed to properly introduce themselves to the government, exacerbating existing problems. He noted that various government entities, from the judiciary to supervisory and intelligence agencies, are not familiar with the workings of the digital economy. Part of this lack of understanding stems from the shortcomings of the private sector and trade associations. The government first needs to understand the impact of the digital economy on the country, and the private sector should approach the issue by clarifying its benefits.
Ashkan Armandehi, CEO of Divar, shared his experience in court, where the judge was unfamiliar with the National Center for Cyberspace. He lamented that many government bodies are not aware of the IT ecosystem or the regulatory agencies within the technology sector. He noted that problems with the Ministry of Communications are often resolved more easily than with other bodies, such as the Ministry of Housing, because the former understands their work.
Armandehi also mentioned the ongoing issue of fake advertisements on Divar. Although they obtained a resolution from the Interoperability Task Force to access APIs from the Deeds Organization for property listing verification, the resolution was not implemented. Instead, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development created an ineffective platform and mandated their connection to it. He criticized the lack of consultation with the private sector on such decisions, emphasizing the need for collaboration on solutions.
Kolahi emphasized that instead of merely complaining, the private sector should present concrete plans, as the political landscape often changes with each government cycle. Tabatabaei added that the government’s inability to make informed decisions often stems from a lack of accurate data. He suggested that instead of criticizing, the private sector should offer proposals that could be presented by government officials in public forums.
Golzadeh concluded the panel by identifying weak data, conflicting narratives, and simplistic thinking among senior managers as the most serious challenges. He proposed offering advice and avoiding isolation from the government as potential solutions.
In the Q&A session, Farzin Fardis discussed the importance of collective action within trade associations, noting the failure to secure a unified stance during the selection of the Minister of Communications. He also mentioned efforts to establish a specialized judiciary and improve communication with parliamentary representatives in Tehran.
We Need Professional Balance
In another panel of this meeting, the focus was on the nature of professional associations and their influence. Maziar Nourbakhsh discussed the various models of professional associations, identifying different types: those that constantly oppose and fail to gain concessions from the government, those that merely receive services, and the most detrimental—those that align too closely with the government’s agenda. He also pointed out that some associations do nothing at all, providing no service to either their members or the government.
He emphasized the need for a balanced approach among associations, one that fosters cooperative efforts to solve problems. He also mentioned that the budgets of these associations have significantly increased and suggested that their activities should become more specialized rather than trying to address every issue.
Mehrak Mahmoudi, the editor-in-chief of Peivast, spoke about the relationship between the media and associations. He stated that while the media serves as the voice of these associations, it’s important for associations to understand that journalists are not part of their group and have their own professional standards. The primary role of associations is to advocate, while the main responsibility of the media and journalists is to question. The media can indeed amplify the voices of associations, but associations should not expect the media to publish only what they want.
Former MP Tavanegar suggested that the private sector should avoid passivity and instead present well-documented proposals when interacting with the government. He advised associations to develop strategic plans and prioritize the education of government officials.
Aiming for More Effective Professional Associations
Nima Ghazi, the President of the Tehran E-commerce Association, highlighted that recent developments and the new government have sparked hopes within the professional community, with the aim of making their activities more effective.
Saeed Mohammadi, co-founder of Digikala, shared insights from Digikala’s experience in dealing with the government. He admitted that in the early stages, they did not fully understand the importance of consistent and proactive engagement with the government, partly due to their youth and inexperience. He noted that the nature of their industry also contributed to this, as it was a relatively new sector that the government and regulatory bodies were unfamiliar with. Fifteen years ago, this understanding was not as widespread as it is now.
Mohammadi mentioned that the digital ecosystem was very nascent at the time, and even they were unsure of the future impact of their activities on the economy. As a result, the government often did not recognize them. The government was accustomed to dealing with established businesses led by well-known figures, so it was natural that they were initially hesitant to acknowledge a startup led by young, unknown entrepreneurs.
He also recounted that in the early days, they were often accused of disrupting the market during meetings with government officials. Digikala was criticized for distributing goods at uniform prices across the country, which was seen as a threat to the traditional market. Mohammadi emphasized that addressing these challenges required collective action within the industry and admitted that Digikala was late in joining such professional efforts.
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