Kassioun Editorial 1206: Is The “Revolution Over”?

Yes, a great victory has been achieved. Yes, there is great joy in Syrians’ hearts as they have lifted off their chests a tyrannical authority that had been burdening them for long decades. Yes, there are great hopes for a bright, generous, dignified, and safe future.

However, …

The revolution triumphs and is over when it achieves all its goals. What has been achieved so far, albeit it is of great importance, is only the first stage that must be followed by a second stage that completes it, within a continuous revolutionary process, until the goal is achieved: “Power to the people, dignity to the nation, and wealth for all”.

What has changed so far is the authority, not the regime. The regime is not just a group of people, but also, in essence, the way wealth and power are distributed. When power and wealth are in the hands of less than 10% of Syrians, then the old regime remains, even if it is in new forms and names. The Egyptian and Tunisian examples are a lesson for us, as more than 14 years have passed since what was called “triumph of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions”. However, the regimes in these two countries are still the same in essence, that is, in terms of the distribution of wealth and power.

The continuation and deepening of Syrians’ organized work is the only formula that can achieve a real, comprehensive triumph. What we are in now is a revolutionary situation, and it requires the people to organize and mobilize their ranks and forces to defend their interests to move from a revolutionary situation to a complete revolution. In this sense, the revolution is still ahead of us and not behind us.

Let us always remember that “authority is a source of corruption”, whatever that authority may be. The behavior of any authority can only be corrected and rectified by placing it under continuous popular oversight. This oversight means people’s involvement in direct political action at all levels, in defense of their interests.

Syrians have turned the page on the “leader party” and the “wise leadership”, and they do not want to go back. Now, they must open the page of the vigilant people, who are always ready to monitor, hold accountable, participate, and seize the initiative, who enjoy true democracy and true freedom of expression.

To open this page, we still need a smooth transition towards a stable situation, which requires the broad participation of all Syrians, not only on the basis of their ethnicity, religious, and sectarian affiliations, but more importantly, on the basis of their political and economic affiliations. This is because equal citizenship means that a Syrian is a sibling to another Syrian, whatever their ethnicity, religion, sect, and gender, and especially that the plundered is a sibling to the plundered, and both are against the plunderer, the corrupt, and the tyrant.

The first step is implementing the essence of UNSC Resolution 2254, to open the door to real participation for all. Syria cannot be ruled by one party, even if it comes with a formal facade in the manner that the authority and the Baath have previously used.

We have many big tasks ahead of us, the most important of which is determining the socioeconomic direction that serves the people. What has been declared under the name of “free market economy” is a continuation and completion of what the regime has been doing for more than 20 years. We also have the task of stopping the “Zionist” encroachment and pushing it as a first step towards the 1974 disengagement borders.

The next goal is comprehensive radical change, which includes laying a real foundation for solving the crises of poverty, unemployment, and the unfair distribution of wealth, and for recovering our occupied lands.

(النسخة العربية)