Hdhod - English
Why Riad Hijab?

by Maher Sharafeddine

The Syrian issue is currently going through its most dangerous phase. The phase will be either one where the issue is completely liquidated or one in which the Syrians succeed in imposing themselves and their vision on the imminent and inevitable political solution.

Now that the Assad regime has been exposed — even in the eyes of those who support it — as a gang and a tool controlled by foreign countries, and after the opposition’s mission was tainted by those who perceived the revolution as a personal opportunity to make money and gain influence, it has become necessary to fight for the formation of a political rescue movement around which all national figures rally, figures whose names have not been linked to blood, money or suspicious dealings that reflect the agendas of other countries.

Knowing the sensitivity of the issue, we cannot really talk of supernatural figures or ones we should have to invent or wait for decades to watch them come to life. We must be realistic and name figures who can walk the walk and talk the talk.

I believe it’s my duty not to hesitate to name the person whom I believe is the most worthy and capable of forming a rescue movement that would play a major role in leading the next stage. I call upon Dr. Riad Hijab, the dissident prime minister, and I invite him to take the reins.

I will explain my point of view while breaking down the reasons for my belief in the superiority of Hijab over all others. I will detail my position in seven points, seven strengths that I find the man to possess, and which, I believe, do not exist in the other opponents, combined.

  1. He is the most senior figure to have defected from the Assad regime.
  2. A large group of revolutionaries have positive sentiments towards Hijab.
  3. He gives reassurance to various segments of the Syrian people, including pro-regime ones who knew him as the Governor of Lattakia. This is a point that I find both important and reassuring.
  4. Hijab is the most active opposition figure when it comes to carrying out administrative functions and governance in the country.
  5. He has immunity, which he gained through his political history before he defected and his behavior after he did, against the two most important charges that the Assad regime and its allies use to tarnish the image of opponents: extremism and sectarianism.
  6. Hijab is a moderate and enjoys international approval. He belongs to the majority of Syrians who fell victim to genocide and cleansing.
  7. He hails from the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, which has come under the control of what is known as the Autonomous Administration. Hijab is from the region that is responsible for curbing the separatist projects that threaten the territorial integrity of Syria.

I can go on listing additional points, but I find the aforementioned seven the most important ones that make the strongest argument for Hijab’s appropriateness to lead the upcoming phase. They also make a strong argument for why Hijab should form a national or a rescue movement which puts Syrian interests above all considerations; a movement that the Syrians should back, give the necessary momentum to, and enable to become prominent at the local level, in order to start changing the status quo at a later
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- ZAMAN AL-WASL

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.



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