Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid has launched a campaign against the upcoming presidential referendum in Syria, slated for May 27,2007, in which the Syrian people will be asked to approve the nomination of their president, Bashar Assad, for another seven-year term in office.
Abdulhamid, founder of the Tharwa Foundation – a reformist organization established in Syria and now operating in the U.S. – has posted several articles on the foundation website (http://tharwacommunity.typepad.com/syrianelector_english) criticizing the referendum as a farce and sham, and calling on the Syrian people to boycott it.
The following are excerpts from the articles, in the original English:
Syria's Presidential Referendum is a Sham Built on a Farce"
In an article titled "No Choice for Syria," Abdulhamid wrote that the presidential referendum cannot possibly reflect the will of the people, since the ruling Ba'th party has the exclusive right to nominate presidential candidates, and since citizens who vote "no" risk persecution by the regime:
"With [the] unanimous nomination out of the newly installed parliament and impending confirmation by the voters at the polls in a popular referendum, the Syrian regime has gone to great lengths to convince both its own people and the world at large that Bashar Al-Assad's nomination – and eventual re-election – as president is the will of the people. But the reality is quite different.
"First, the Ba'th Party has exclusive rights to nominate a candidate for parliamentary approval. Independents need not apply.
"Then, take the parliament that approved his nomination: How representative is this representative body? Two thirds of the seats are reserved for the Ba'th Party and its coalition partners, leaving 33 percent of the body to be open for competition. And observers on the ground in April reported [the] election to be anything but open or competitive. Truly independent candidates reported harassment by authorities and pressure to drop out of the race – those remaining virtually all had ties to the regime. Space[s] for write-in candidates were already filled with handwritten names when voters were handed their ballots, leaving no room for actual write-ins. At the end of the day, the process was so ridiculous that – despite official tallies of 50 percent or more – less than 5 percent of voters actually went to the polls. Hardly 'the will of the people.'
"And finally, the 'choice' offered voters: vote 'yes' to affirm Assad's nomination and confirm the 'will of the people' (see above). Or vote 'no,' exposing oneself and one's family to harassment and persecution.
"With that kind of 'choice,' it is a wonder anyone leaves home to vote at all."
It is Time We Proved to the World and to Ourselves That We Are Not Dead
In another article, Abdulhamid called on the Syrians to boycott the elections despite the risks involved, and thereby to fight the regime which has brought Syria nothing but misery:
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"If it were possible for silence to bring us safety, why is the Syrian regime about to throw [out] thousands of Syrian families from their own homes and shops in Old Damascus? And to whose benefit?
"And why are hundreds of thousands of young men and women graduating every year only to join the ranks of the unemployed?
"And why are more than 40% of the Syrian people living below the poverty line – at a time when the prices of basic commodities continue to increase on a daily basis, and when the simple everyday dreams of familial stability seem so untenable?
"And why has the head of the regime not offered any specific reform program in the hope of improving the people’s livelihood?
"No, our complaints will no longer suffice. Things have become clear now, too clear. Now is the time to reject. Now it is time to boycott.
"The Syrian Elector team calls upon the Syrian people to boycott the upcoming presidential referendum.
"Indeed, we do know that this decision is a difficult one, and that it does entail certain possible risks. But our silence, which has always been interpreted as a sign of approval and submission, has never made us safe. Rather, it has transformed our lives into [a] series of incessant nightmares and delusions.
"Isn’t it about time we put an end to all this? Isn’t it about time we proved to the world, to ourselves [and] to posterity that we are not dead? And that we know how to fight for our freedom and our dignity against oppression, corruption and authoritarianism? And that freedom and justice are more than mere slogans for us, but [are] realities for which we are willing to offer all the necessary sacrifices?
"It is up to us to work out our own salvation. This is nobody else’s responsibility. Let each one of us consult his or her heart and mind, and follow the dictates of his or her conscience. After all, the homeland is our homeland, the future is our future, and the choice – no matter how much they would try to deprive us of it – is, in the final analysis, our choice."
"'No' to Bashar = 'Yes' to Syria"
In a May 19, 2007 post on his blog on the Tharwa website, Abdulhamid added: "Indeed, the best way to say "No" to Bashar is when we choose to boycott the entire system that was set up to allow someone like him to lord over us, to reject the whole Ba'th-imposed referendum system that deprives us of a real choice, to refuse to take part in the farce that is played [at] our expense...
"Let there be no doubt about it, though, our National Clown will claim victory at the end of the day, and will claim his usual 99% of the votes; officials will report massive turnouts at the polling stations, and they might eventually succeed in arranging a few mass demonstrations by mobilizing army recruits, security personnel as well as Iraqi and Palestinian refugees.
"Still, by the end of the day, the Syrian people will also be victorious, and they will emerge more empowered than ever, because, by the end of the day, many will have broken the barrier of fear, and we will have established networks on the ground that we can use to make life increasingly difficult for Bashar & Company..."
"May 27 – National Flu Day!"
In the May 12, 2007 entry of his blog, Abdulhamid called on the Syrians to declare May 27, the day of the presidential referendum, "National Flu Day" and avoid going to the polls:
"The first step towards a peaceful democratic revolution in Syria might just be as easy as staying home for a day.
"Indeed, what if the entire country had the flu on May 27, 2007, and no one managed to leave home to take part in the presidential referendum? Wouldn’t that be something? Wouldn’t that be a logical extension of [the] earlier popular boycott of the parliamentary elections? Could there ever be an easier expression of patriotism than developing a case of the flu on a certain given day?
"Indeed, let’s make May 27, 2007 our National Flu Day in Syria. Let us, by willingly succumbing to one group of hypothetical germs, willfully combat the oppression and corruption of a real group of perennial germs."
Cartoons On Syria's Presidential Referendum
The Tharwa website also posted the following cartoons, showing the consequences faced by citizens who choose to vote "no" in the referendum:
