In the next few weeks, Mayor Bloomberg‘s office is expected to announce the results of the Taxi of Tomorrow campaign. The winning vehicle design will become the exclusive New York City taxicab for at least a decade.
In making this decision, officials are looking at obvious features like safety, comfort and reliability. But there is one question they have yet to consider: Do the values of the competing companies reflect the values of most New Yorkers?
Many might be surprised to learn that two of the three finalists in the campaign, Karsan and Nissan, have had significant business dealings in Iran.
Nissan has had a long partnership with Iranian car manufacturer Pars Khodro. They make no attempt to hide their business relationship, advertising it on their respective websites. Turkish auto company Karsan has partnered for several years with Iranian manufacturers, including the National Iranian Gas Co.
Why should this matter to New Yorkers? Because companies doing business in Iran may well be facilitating Tehran‘s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, oppress the democratic aspirations of its people and sponsor terrorism. The Iranian government directly profits from companies doing business in key sectors such oil and gas, which are controlled by the state.
Lest anyone have questions about Iran’s ruling regime, keep in mind that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be “wiped off” the map and, last September, came to New York to advance outrageous conspiracy theories about 9/11.
New Yorkers who remember the movement to divest from South Africa during apartheid should take up the fight against doing business with Iran. It is similarly repressive – and dangerous, too, with overt nuclear ambitions.
Most of the world’s response to Iran’s continued defiance of international norms has been justifiably harsh. In addition to the United Nations, a number of countries including the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea have adopted tough sanctions. Perhaps more importantly, a number of responsible corporations, including General Electric, KPMG, Toyota and Kia, have all voluntarily pulled out of Iran.
And there is ample precedent for New York City to reject contracts with companies doing business in Iran. Consider that just this past summer, President Obama signed into law sanctions giving companies a choice to either do business with Uncle Sam or with the mullahs of Tehran.
This law requires companies to certify that they do not do business in Iran in key sectors. If they do, they are ineligible to win contracts with the world’s largest business – the U.S. government.
We should adopt similar provisions in New York. Any company seeking to do business with the city should only be eligible if it is able to certify that it does not do business in Iran. Such assurances help the public make informed investment decisions and will enable city officials to be confident that taxpayer dollars are spent in ways that align with New Yorkers’ values.
If the need for competition is an overriding concern in the Taxi of Tomorrow campaign as a means to ensure that the third finalist (Ford) is not a lock, then the mayor should allow a new round of submissions. It is far better to delay the announcement of the winner than to reward a $1 billion contract to a company whose values are anathema to ours.
Indeed, following the announcement of the finalists, the mayor himself commented that, “We are not obliged to go with anything if it does not meet our needs.” It is time for him to understand that the needs of New Yorkers extend beyond just comfort and reliability. We care about corporate responsibility, too.
Wallace serves as president of United Against Nuclear Iran.
