96 Days have passed. 1300 civilians have died in the protest. And to add to it, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave a third speech which stated ‘ no development without stability, no reform in the face of sabotage and chaos.’
It reminds me of past Egyptian president Mubarak, who currently has now been diagnosed with cancer. The same tension, demand and proclamation during the eve of his speech which also proved to be marred with loopholes.
Speaking on the same fears as Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak did, during their penultimate public appearances, Assad blamed the entire protest on foreign intervention, reluctant opposition and above all, a small population which is exploiting Syria’s future.
‘Promises are lies’
Syrians are furious. Slogans like, ‘Its written on the tanks, Bashar’s promises are all lies,‘ have become a reality for the Syrian blood, sweat and soil. Few say that ‘Democracy can be tough and dangerous, especially for the minority’.
Others believe that the speech was meant only for the supporters and not for the opponents. But before engaging into any hard and fast judgement, my entire perspective is quite simple.
‘The future, the lesson’
If today, hundreds and thousands of Syrians believe that they do not want another Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan, then, what do they want? The Middle East uprising has stated the victory of Tunisia and Egypt. Unfortunately, in spite of conquering the electoral democracy, the conditions are still different.
The elections in Tunisia that were supposed to happen in July have been postponed. The Army which is in the interim control of the Egyptian government is criticized for its ‘insensitivity’. Initially, it did seem like ‘Justice delayed in justice denied‘. But unfortunately, both of them have interchanging meanings, now.
‘Fear and western powers’
Syrians are afraid to trust in the government again. Yes, no doubt, they will be. In fact, any opposition would be. It hardly matters whether Bashar stated that he would pass a law for the multi party democracy and call 100 leading personalities to discuss regarding constitutional reforms.
One must not also forget that Syria is also an oil exporter. Though, the industry has seen a decline, it still has the potential of exporting 400,000 barrels per day. This in itself means that the Western superpowers would soon be involved.
‘Where is President Sarkozy?’
Though, Bashar, in his 11 years of rule has chosen to win the trust of countries like Russia, Turkey, China and France. Interestingly, that is one of the reasons why President Sarkozy is not so strongly into international platforms regaring Syria. Though, Russia has state that another Libya is in the making and hence, it would not let the history to be repeated.
The US and UK have condoned the entire proclamation and have stated that they want the Syrian president to surrender. Its all, talk, right now.
‘The common man?’
But ultimately, the average person has rights. And this fight is about his right. His right to be independent and survive. He cannot be called a ‘Saboteur’. He cannot be called as someone who causes destruction, disruption, subversion and obstruction.
It indeed is unfortunate to see that the Syrian President has been reduced to a game (Click to play)
What lies in front of Syria is a maze of convoluted thoughts. The days are numbered. But to what future, no one knows.
shubhdachaudhary 