Kassioun Editorial 1212: Two Consecutive Scenes Confirm Hope and Concern

On Wednesday, the scene was closer to the traditional“Revolutionary Command Council” formula, where the military alone, represented by the leaders of a significant number of factions, and without the involvement of any political or social components, decided on a number of major decisions, including the appointment of Mr. Ahmed al-Sharaa as President of the Republic within the transitional period, the dissolution of the People’s Assembly, the army, and the parties of the National Progressive Front, the cancellation of the 2012 Constitution, the suspension of exceptional laws, in addition to the dissolution of the military factions and the revolutionary political and civil bodies and their integration into the state institutions.

 As for Thursday, it witnessed an intensive and clear speech by the new Syrian president in which he called for turning a new page in the country’s history, the gateway to which is: “A transitional phase that is part of a political process that requires the real participation of all Syrian men and women inside the country and abroad to build their future with freedom and dignity without exclusion or marginalization.”

 He also pledged to work on "forming a comprehensive transitional government that expresses Syria's diversity and undertakes the work of building new Syrian institutions until we reach a stage of free and fair elections."

 He also announced work on a preparatory committee to select a small legislative council to fill the void in the transitional phase, and a preparatory committee for the National Dialogue Conference, followed by a constitutional declaration that would be the legal reference for the transitional phase. He also set out the general vision for the most urgent tasks, most notably civil peace, completing the unity of Syrian territory, and establishing the foundations for a strong and developmental economy that would restore Syria’s status.

 The two consecutive scenes of Wednesday and Thursday form a single picture as an expression of the end of the war phase on the one hand, and on the other hand the beginning of the state-building phase based on comprehensive participation within the transitional phase. This requires good preparation for both the transitional government and the National Dialogue Conference, in a way that achieves a real transition in Syria, not from one authority to another, but from one regime to another, so that power is for the people, dignity is for the homeland, and wealth is for all in word and deed.

Despite the general positive direction of Thursday’s speech, measures such as the dissolution of the National Progressive Front parties, and despite all the criticism of these parties and their duty to conduct a self-review of their positions and behavior, like everyone else, are measures that raise legitimate concerns regarding democratic freedoms and freedoms of political action. This is because the side concerned with raising or lowering the status of any party is the Syrian people, who hold accountable and monitor the various political forces, evaluate them based on their positions and discourse, and express this evaluation through elections and through participation and work in these parties and forces or abandoning them. Everyone should trust the choices of the Syrian people and their accumulated experience, and it is not permissible to fear the free will of Syrians. Therefore, dissolving or forming parties in a top-down manner is ultimately a form of restricting political life and hindering its development, and should not prevail in the new Syria.

The tasks facing Syria and Syrians with all their forces, including the current authority, are great and serious, and the dangers looming are also great and dangerous, and there is no possibility of reaching safety without the greatest degree of cooperation, participation, and national unity, not only on the political level, but also, and above all, on the socioeconomic level, the importance of which is increasing day by day, and is turning into the main essence that people talk about every day and everywhere. The search for a decent livelihood, and for ways to restart the economy and overcome the sanctions (there can be no reliance of lifting them soon) are serious questions that should be a main axis, or even the main axis, in the required national dialogue, and in the work of the upcoming transitional government.

(النسخة العربية)