Revolutionary Left Current: Syria at a crossroads — Towards freedom or tyranny

First published at Revolutionary Left Current. 

With the collapse of the former regime, the Syrian people, who had suffered under the tyranny and injustice of the Assad family’s oligarchy, were swept by feelings of joy, relief and hope for liberation. After the great popular revolution that erupted in mid-March 2011, during which the Syrian people offered tens of thousands of martyrs to achieve its goals, there was a sense of optimism. However, doubt and disappointment have now gripped large segments of the population. Their living conditions have deteriorated further, and the vertical fragmentation among Syrians has increased, exacerbated by rising ethnic and sectarian discrimination under the new authority. This authority has replaced its promises of inclusive participation in building a new Syria with top-down marginalizing measures, such as the so-called “Victory Declaration Conference” for military factions that appointed a president for the country, followed by the “National Dialogue Conference,” which lasted less than a day. This was followed by sectarian killings on the coast, culminating in a constitutional declaration devoid of any real or democratic participation.

The interim constitutional declaration issued by the new authority, both in form and content, has dashed the hopes of the masses. It has entrenched the very opposite of the goals and roots of the Syrian revolution, which were freedom, justice, and equality. This declaration has legitimized the concentration of all powers in the hands of a single individual, the president, amounting to nothing more than an attempt to reproduce the previous oligarchic system, but without Assad and under a new constitutional cover similar to its predecessor.

More importantly, this constitutional declaration lacks any popular legitimacy, as the sole source of legitimacy is the free people themselves. It does not establish such legitimacy but rather derives its authority solely from the armed apparatus of the new regime, headed by Ahmed Shar’, who appointed himself as president with absolute powers, as if we have returned to an absolute monarchy.

Thus, the issuance of this declaration renders any real guarantees for a radical democratic and social change in the structure of the collapsed political system null and void. The primary difference between the two systems is the replacement of one ruling elite with another. Moreover, it paves the way for the reproduction of the same security and media tools and methods used by the previous regime to suppress and subjugate the Syrian people.

Therefore, we warn against the conservative political path taken by the new authority, whose reactionary practices have intensified, completely contradicting the promises made by the regime. In this context, the constitutional declaration confirms this direction.

Consequently, the constitutional declaration does not address the root causes of the Syrian crisis but instead reproduces the same conditions that led to the outbreak of the revolution. The absence of real democracy, the persistence of religious and sectarian discrimination, the concentration of power in the hands of an individual or a small group, and neoliberal economic policies all contribute to the continuation of political and social conflict and instability in the country.

The Revolutionary Left Current in Syria believes that the real solution to Syria’s crisis cannot be achieved through formal constitutional declarations that do not fundamentally break with the foundations of tyranny and corruption. Instead, it requires political organization behind a clear project: 

• Expanding the space for freedoms, political and union activities, and free and independent media, and transitioning to a real, non-sectarian democratic system with the participation of all political and popular forces through free and fair elections based on proportional representation.
• Additionally, opposing all economic, social, and political policies that harm the interests of the broad popular sectors, and building a true democratic state based on the principle of full citizenship and equality among all Syrians, in contrast to projects that politicize identity.
• Adopting a democratic constitution that guarantees the separation of powers and establishes a pluralistic political system that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• Achieving transitional justice by holding all criminals who committed crimes against the Syrian people accountable and compensating the victims and the families of the martyrs.
• Rebuilding the Syrian state on new foundations that ensure social and economic justice, guarantee the Syrian people’s right to self-determination, and recognize Syria’s national, religious, and cultural diversity without discrimination. It must also preserve the full sovereignty of the people in shaping their future and the independence of their country from all occupiers.

We, the Revolutionary Left Current in Syria, affirm that we will not stop defending the interests of the popular classes and will continue to work with political and popular forces that share our commitment to achieving the goals of the revolution: freedom, dignity, and social justice.

All power and wealth to the people.