AN EULOGY TO PRESIDENT HAFEZ ASSAD
The question of life and death is still at
times a puzzle, as realities on the ground do show; it is unknown whether death
ends others’ life or brings it more and more into limelight ! Thus, there are
many of the living but dead in spirit, the dead but ever living in deeds as well
as words. This isn’t a philosophical theory but rather an observation by a
journalist when it comes to the untimely demise of the late President, Hafez
Assad, whose presence was very strong in the aftermath of demise. Almost all the
said and done by the late Assad do remind the majority of his heroic principles
stances. The very stances, which came in an accurate translation for a wise
balanced policy, based on the principles of of unlimited belief in the power of
masses and of the Arab Nation, betterment and improvement of the masses living
conditions, welfare and prosperity, full return and liberation of the occupied
territories and usurped rights, and of strong commitment to peace realization
and world legitimacy.
In the Arab masses and Syrians, the late president put his deep trust; they were
one of the main sources of his power, and the driving force and objective for
every measure and step taken. His 1970 Correction Movement targeted the
majority, if not all. The masses, especially the millions of Syrians, were led
out of chaos and coups to the shores of safety and rest on the long so far
running march of building, development and modernization. The late president
built on the rubbles of pre-1970; 30 years later, the masses voted for President
Bashar, who non-stopping has been working to build on the achieved and
accomplished during the said 30 glorious years. Remarkably, the symphony was
orchestrated to the pulse of the public, their satisfaction and desire. New
democratic institutions, constitution, organizations were enshrined; equality,
justice the rule of law and its precedence did prevail. Redistribution of
resources to suffice all, every body was judged in terms of how much work and
effort, not of what color or origin. The more you belong to your country, the
more you deserve. This was a turning transitional point in the social life,
promotion of peasants and farmers status, lifting of restrictions on political
parties and on freedom of speech, emancipation of women and so many others.
The liberation Arab land occupied by Israel was always, and ever is, the
objective and noble aim. For the sake of peace, a just war was launched. It was
a war in defense of world peace and security, hence no peace and security
without the liberation of the 1967 occupied land. This compelled the other side
, some years later, following a further dealt blow and defeat in Lebanon, thanks
to the late president for defending and preserving of its present demographic
mosaic, to unwillingly take part in Madrid Conference, dragging peace efforts
into years of procrastination and futility as Mr. Shamir pledged. During 10
years of on and off rounds of peace talks on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks of
peace, others fell into the trap of behind curtains deformed deals! Such a
deviation from Late Assad’s long sought for Arab solidarity and coordination did
yield the fruits of Adam’s apple. You have by now to pluck the thorns from your
hands by your bleeding without-fingers-hand! The issue of the liberation and
return is still for us, as defined and underlined by the great leader of Syria’s
most turbulent phase of foreign conspiracies and plots. 242, 338, UN Charter and
resolutions are not only the most quoted terms of reference by Syrians
worldwide, but also the most frequently repeated guidelines and principles used
by the late president. These two resolutions besides 425 , not to mention
Beirut’s Initiative, still dominate the political agenda in our country.
Unfortunately, the other side has developed a UN Phobia, not even to mention any
UN terms of reference. Israel has developed a complex of fear from its past,
rather than capitalizing on the suffering imposed by others; Moslems defended
Jews, when the world let them down. The Sephardem are those of Spain, when the
origin of the world itself means the prosperous Jews of Spain under the
protection of Arabs. Unfortunately, Israel paid no heed to the serious honest
commitment of the late president to just and comprehensive peace. The Israeli
side summarized the dispute as a matter of afew meters, when it was indeed a
struggle between liberation and occupation, dignity and humiliation, logic and
illogic. One would have no wonder that the assassination of Mr. Rabin was merely
a further step on the long way of aborting every peace effort, and so were the
Israeli ongoing slander campaigns of misinformation and distortion against Syria
and Lebanon. Peace won’t only secure the interests of the oppressed but more
that of Israel itself. So far, the majority in this part of the region are more
than willing to build on the accomplished on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks of
peace, and restart from where the talks broke off; it is a win-win solution for
all.
Arab solidarity was and is still the unaccomplished goal. The late President
nobly shelved every grievances and plot hatched by some close Arab neighbours
and brothers against the stability of the country, for its modern reconstruction
paid the most expensive. To the disappointment of many trouble makers, Syria
withstood and survived every plot including the recently disclosed assassination
bid against the late Assad’s life in Geneva by the presently deposed butcher of
Iraq and the once used to be the US puppet leader. Actually, the repeated calls
by the late president for a further Arab solidarity have been recently felt so
direly needed for, in light of recent tragedies imposed on a fragmented in
tatters Arab World! We do miss you especially in these dark times of twisted
facts, unjust and groundless accusations, and denial of saving lives!
Further, the United Nations umbrella, Charter, and role have proved themselves
to, as the late President for all his life held, the only possible exit out from
the region dark tunnel. This exit is sadly still blocked and hindered by
selectivity and multistandardization of world affairs and people destiny. Such a
blind approach is still leading the region into the more of bloodshed and
massacres. As long as big powers think of the region crises in terms of their
own interests and election campaigns, no just solution can be found. Great
decisions need great leaders, the decision of peace is the greatest and most
noble of all. Neither the recent statements by Mr. Bush, nor by his ‘’ Man of
peace”, not even by the de facto appointed prime minister of the Palestinian
Authority can make peace. The only way to peace is a unanimous reinvigoration of
dormant peace on all tracks, where the opccupiers would in full withdraw from
the 1967 occupied territories. This necessitates renunciation of every act of
violence and aggression by Israel, which usually perpetrates a massacre or carry
out a large scale assassination bid before every glimmer of hope for peace
realization! As the late president did believe, separate and one-by-one track
tackling of the region problems, mainly caused by the Israeli occupation of the
land, can never end violence and counter violence, never ends occupation and
resistance; but will further aggravate and deteriorate conditions. The interlink
and connectedness among tracks of peace have for long been the way out; Whether
others would work accordingly or not depends on how much they are to be honestly
involved and indulged in the process of peace making.
Another strong deep convention held by the late president was to resist
occupation. Resisting and repelling aggressors has been the oldest practice by
Man against every force of tyranny and oppression including that of nature. Once
occupation ends, there is no justification for armed resistance against the
other side. It might be changed into civilized peaceful resistance against acts
of subjugation, hegemony and domination! The South of Lebanon was liberated, and
so the remaining of the occupied would soon be. International ignorance of the
late president 1980’s calls for a clear-cut definition of terrorism and
distinction between resistance and terrorism went unheeded. The world had at
large to pay for such carelessness and to bear the evil consequences of
terrorism. To the disadvantage of every human, in a very short time in the
aftermath of the late president untimely demise, the world had been swept by a
wave of terrorist attacks by some outlawed gangs, which once were groomed up and
patronized by the so called world big powers under different silly pretexts!
Whether they be to encounter the then Soviet impact, Islamic Revolution in Iran,
pan-Arab nationalism, or in the nearby surrounding to counter the influence of
the nowadays under house arrest chairman. Dr. Faustus has to pay for his signed
contract with the devil! The evil Lucifier and Mephostophilos caused
unfortunately the massacring of many innocent civilians worldwide. The present
wanted dead or alive forces of hatred are no more the closet allies of the
so-called land of the free! What is even more painful happened when others tried
to export their hand-made rotten and evil products to the victimized! Now that
the region countries shelter the millions of the disposed refugees, that the
press offices are closed, who is to be held accountable? Is it the generous who
host them; or the oppressors who uprooted them? Is it the oppressed or the
oppressor? If it is the oppressed, the world has to wait ,yet longer, for the
more of chaos, killing and bloodshed! If not, the oppressors should by now have
realized the futility of alliances with evil; so that a new chapter of
coexistence, peace, and security for all can be written.
Actually, an objective transparent reading for the glorious chapters of the late
president’s epics would, undoubtedly, lead to the conclusion that the world has
lost with this untimely demise, a staunch fighter for just and comprehensive
peace, a strong advocate of tolerance, coexistence, and noble dignified life.
The leader, who has never surrendered nor ceded a grain of the holy land, passed
away only in body. It is an international loss by all accounts. To what extent
the other side would capitalize and take advantage of Syria today’s honest and
sincere peace commitments, and of her fight against terrorism, poverty and
backwardness is still vague and ambiguous among different issued contradicting
signals. Our loss has been so great; real estimation of and consideration for
the needs and necessities of the public grievances and worries should be there!
Modernization and development, needed for by all considering the natural course
of changes, do need a different approach, especially by those who still occupy
the land and kill the people, so that we all become blessed peacemakers to the
rest of the great leader’s soul in his grave, a different grave which exists in
every white beating heart.
By
Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim
INTERVIEWS
SPEECHES DOMESTIC ISSUESNATIONAL ISSUESINTERNATIONAL ISSUESNEWS & ANALYSESPICTURES
HOME 
Back