Politicians confirm transitional government's failure after one year in power

A year has passed since the fall of the Ba'ath regime and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to power in Damascus, and the establishment of a transitional government that governs Syria with Ba'athist tools. Politicians believe this government cannot govern Syria with a factional mentality and is simply recycling the Ba'athist experience with Syrians who suffered decades under its policies.

In this context, Saleh al-Zouba, head of the relations office of the Syria Future Party, indicated that they initially rejoiced at the fall of the Ba'ath regime, which ruled Syria for nearly 60 years with a single ideology, party, and nationalism, and a system reliant on intelligence services, during which the people suffered oppression, subjugation, and pain.

He observed that after a year of the transitional government's rule in Damascus, they had seen no change from its predecessor in its style of governance, which remained based on a single ideology. He pointed out a strong similarity between the current government and the defunct Ba'ath regime in their methods.

He added that Syria, with its cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity, cannot be governed in this way, and that all Syrians have the right to participate in the administration of the country from various positions.

Al-Zuba'a expressed his party's rejection of the idea that the government, parliament, and all power should be concentrated in the hands of one person who distributes positions among his cronies. He emphasized that the current government does not meet the aspirations of the Syrian people in all their diversity, stressing the necessity of forming a government and drafting a constitution that represents and is written with the participation of all segments of society.

Al-Zuba’a pointed out that there are many security risks after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham came to power, especially after it committed massacres against the Alawite sect in the Syrian coast and against the Druze in Swedia, in which hundreds were killed, under various pretexts, describing its method as “barbaric and mob-like” in repression, killing, and violation of honor and property.

During the year of the Syrian Interim Government's rule, approximately 11,439 people were killed, including 512 children and 676 women, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The killings were classified into serious patterns, including extrajudicial killings and summary executions, kidnapping and torture, indiscriminate targeting, bombings and armed attacks, Turkish and Israeli shelling, and attacks by armed extremist groups.

Saleh al-Zuba'a considered the March 10 agreement signed between the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, and the head of the Interim Government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to have halted the bloodshed in Syria and prevented the country from descending into destruction and ruin. He stated, "This stance is to the credit of the SDF."

He noted that the policies of the Interim Government and its security apparatus have negatively impacted the lives of Syrian citizens, who now live in fear due to the brutality of the security forces, which has been openly documented in the media and on video.

He attributed this to the fact that these forces lack experience in dealing with civilians and are ineffective in managing security agencies, governance, and the state. He expressed their desire, as a political party, to reach an agreement between the Autonomous Administration and the Transitional Government to prevent wars, despite the fact that the Transitional Government's pronouncements remain verbal without practical steps being taken and its policies contradicting what is agreed upon on the ground.

Al-Zuba'a pointed out that the Transitional Government is not the decision-maker, but rather is controlled by the Turkish state. He cited as evidence that when a meeting is held between the Autonomous Administration and the Transitional Government, its content reaches Turkey on the same day. He said, "We are practically negotiating with Turkey, not Damascus, and we will not allow, after getting rid of the Iranian turban, the Turkish fez to come and rule us again."

He believes that the Transitional Government is not serious about rebuilding Syria, but rather talks about investments and sums of money estimated at billions of dollars without taking practical steps on the ground, despite what he described as "strong" diplomatic efforts. He added, "The salaries of government employees are paid by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and productive and economic institutions are at a standstill."

The Challenges Facing the Transitional Government

Al-Zuba’a stated that the challenges facing the transitional government today are implementing American demands, particularly regarding the withdrawal of foreign fighters from Uyghurs and Chechnya, as well as implementing the March 10th Agreement, normalizing relations with Israel, and joining the Abraham Accords. He emphasized that the primary obstacle is Turkey, whose voice the transitional government uses.

What is Required of the Transitional Government

Al-Zuba’a believes that what is required of the transitional government today is to rely on Syrians throughout the entire Syrian territory and, militarily, on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which he considers a "powerful and professional" force with accumulated capabilities and experience after decades of fighting terrorism. He deemed them the best model for protecting Syria from any potential threat, stressing the need to utilize them. He also emphasized the importance of activating service and governmental institutions in all Syrian regions, including those in northern and eastern Syria, and building Syria on the basis of a decentralized, pluralistic democratic system, which he considers the best model of governance for all countries, serving the citizen and contributing to stability.

Syrians' Disappointment After the Fall of the Ba'ath Regime

For his part, Farhan Daoud, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) office in Hasakah, indicated that the Syrian people were let down after placing their hopes on the transitional government, following years of repression and persecution, to move towards a decentralized, pluralistic, democratic system that would guarantee security and stability for Syrians, the return of displaced persons, and the opening of investigations into the human rights violations committed under the former regime.

He added that the steps taken by the transitional government did not meet the aspirations of the Syrian people, starting with the so-called "Victory Conference," which lacked women's representation, then the "National Unity Conference," which was supposed to represent the diverse Syrian population but was limited to a specific group, and finally the announcement of the draft constitution and the formation of parliament, in which not all Syrian components participated.

Daoud said: "These steps taken by Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government did not serve the Syrian people in all their diversity."

He noted that the interim government has not taken any serious or fundamental steps to resolve the Syrian crisis after a year. Instead, it has perpetrated massacres against the people of the coast and Swedia, using Bedouin tribes and factions affiliated with the Ministry of Defense. He asserted that the interim government has no connection to the Syrian situation or any attempt to resolve it.

He pointed out that Syria is currently experiencing a suffocating crisis due to foreign interventions, particularly by Turkey, which has had a hand in all the crises Syria is currently facing. The Syrian people are paying the price, having begun to regress after becoming aware of the threats posed by groups loyal to the interim government and Turkey within Syria.

Daoud believes that the interim government is not serious about adopting a genuine democratic project that would save Syria and fulfill the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people, who did not celebrate Assad's downfall, demonstrating their dissatisfaction with the current government's policies. Farhan asserted that the policies of the interim government are exacerbating the Syrian crisis, warning of Syria's slide toward internal conflict in the areas under its control through incitement, the sowing of sectarian strife, and demographic engineering, as indicated by available data. This is compounded by the government's inability to control the factions operating under its authority, which continue to perpetrate killings, looting, and kidnappings.

Daoud explained that if the interim government demonstrates a genuine intention to rebuild Syria, it must engage in dialogue with the Autonomous Administration and learn from its experience. Despite threats and conspiracies aimed at undermining its project, the Autonomous Administration's areas are considered the most stable and secure. It has succeeded in building a cohesive society with democratic institutions and councils, becoming a model to be emulated.

Practical Steps to Fulfill the Aspirations of Syrians

Farhan Daoud believes that Syria needs a democratic mindset, project, and society based on participation, fraternity among peoples, women's freedom, and shared equality. He also calls for national unity and a conference to discuss the situation of Syrians, how to resolve the crisis, and how to build a system and constitution that represent all components of Syrian society without foreign interference.

He pointed out that in the self-administered areas, they have been living this experience since 2014 without the emergence of contradictions or sectarian, tribal, ethnic, religious, or cultural crises.

He believes that the transitional government has proven its failure after a year in power, given the absence of a project, system, and constitution capable of protecting Syrians and controlling the rogue factions that commit massacres against the Syrian people with impunity.

He noted that the Syrian people have become more aware and informed about the actions of Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government. Based on available data and indicators, Farhan Daoud predicted that the coming year would be worse than the last, with sectarian conflicts prevailing, unless the transitional government revises its policies and opens genuine channels of dialogue with parties such as the Autonomous Administration and the people of the coast and Swedia.

He believes that the peace and democratic society project proposed by leader Abdullah Ocalan will positively impact Syria, leading to the establishment of a decentralized, pluralistic democratic system, and will also benefit the entire Middle East, providing a solution to all the issues and crises it faces.

For his part, Sheikh Fayez al-Jadaan, head of the Conservative Party office in Jabal Kazwan/Abdul Aziz, believes that the transitional government has failed to unite Syrians within a comprehensive national and political framework encompassing all civil forces. He stated, "This demonstrates the disintegration of the transitional government," holding the government responsible for the fragmentation and division plaguing the Syrian people.

Sheikh al-Jadaan also pointed to the security risks facing Syria and impacting its security and stability due to the resurgence of factionalism within the army formed by the Ministry of Defense of the transitional government.

He asserted that the army that committed massacres against the people of Swedia and the coast is not a real army, emphasizing the necessity of building a genuine army that works to protect Syrians, so that security and stability can be established, not the opposite. He stated, "To this day, there is no real army."

He pointed out that the interim government has not even been able to provide basic services to the Syrian people, rebuild infrastructure, or remove the debris of destruction, stressing that it has done nothing for Syrians domestically.

Sheikh Fayez Jad'an said that the government is not serious about integrating all Syrian components, but rather works to exclude sects such as the Alawites and Druze, which deepens sectarian strife.

He called on the interim government not to use tribes to facilitate state policies, not to allow their interference in its affairs, and not to exacerbate problems between the components of the Syrian people. He noted that in North and East Syria, they are working towards civil peace, which is the Syrians' most valuable asset, and said, "The interim government must preserve the diversity that exists in Syria." He stressed the need for the transitional government to open channels of dialogue with all Syrian factions and to rely on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) because they are an organized and well-trained army that has made immense sacrifices to protect the country, liberated a third of Syrian territory from ISIS, and are capable of liberating the rest of Syria from undisciplined factions.

The head of the governors' office in Jabal Abdul Aziz, Sheikh Fayez Jad'an, concluded his remarks to ANHA agency by saying, "We want a decentralized Syria."

ANHA