Independent MP Maria Saadeh to ST: Dr. Bashar Al-Assad the Best to Lead Syrian in Coming Era

Maria Saadeh, the independent member in the Syrian People’s Assembly believes that there is no alternative for President Bashar al-Assad to lead Syria in the coming era. She also sees that holding the first Syrian multi-candidate presidential elections, by itself, means the continuity of the Syrian state and declares Syria’s victory in the so far more than three years old global war which has aimed to topple the legitimate Syrian government, weaken the state and violate its sovereignty to serve a bigger scheme targeting the entire Middle East region.

Interviewed by “The Syria Times” e-newspaper, Saadeh said “the presence of President Al-Assad in power has become a necessity, as he has got all the keys for a safe exit from the ongoing crisis. His respect to the Syrian people’s rights as well as his brave and wise policy in dealing with the ongoing crisis has enabled him to withstand the pressure of the foreign powers over the past three years. This unmatchable steadfastness plus the escalating foreign pressure have made the Syrian people more insistent on choosing Dr. Al-Assad to lead future Syria.”

Polls

In response to claims doubting the legitimate and democratic nature of the elections, Saadeh reminded of an opinion poll conducted last year by Qatar as well as international establishments and UN organizations to know who will win in case presidential elections are held in Syria. The results showed that 70 percent of the participants expect that President Bashar Al-Assad will be the winner.

According to the Syrian MP, the conflict is now at the international arena and Syria is at the center of this conflict, so “defending Syria means defending every sovereign state and a Syrian victory is a victory for all the countries which suffer the repercussions of this international conflict and for all the oppressed people which are being fought by a certain pole in which America and some European countries form the main alliance to serve Israel’s interests.”

West’s False Democracy

Recently the so-called “Friends of Syria” group held a meeting after which the foreign ministers of the United States and Britain, who always claim their keenness on the Syrian people’s rights, again announced their support for the armed groups in Syria and renewed their interference in Syria’s internal affairs by criticizing the coming presidential elections. France, Germany and most recently Belgium have decided to prevent the Syrians in these countries from voting in the forthcoming presidential elections, thereby violating the Syrian people’s right to practice their national right to choose their leader.

“What kind of democracy is that when the western countries call for applying democracy while preventing an electoral process from being held on their lands? What kind of justice and freedom of speech is that when the west talks about the need to protect the Syrian people’s rights and freedom but at the same time deprives the Syrians in its countries from voting and shamelessly keeps arming the terrorist groups in Syria with weapons,” MP Saadeh asked.

According to Saadeh, no international law gives a country the right to prevent any political process from being carried out within the Syrian embassy because this embassy is considered as a Syrian land.

“The decisions are groundless, because work in diplomatic relations must be based on clear international laws. Such decisions are caused by these countries’ fears that a large number of Syrians intend to vote in the elections to be held in the Syrian embassies abroad, thereby removing these countries’ mask before their own peoples, unveiling their hypocrisy and undermining their theories which justify their support for the so-called opposition fight against the current government”, Saadeh said, asserting that the turn out by the Syrians on elections is against these countries political interests and it gives a blow to the efforts they exerted in terms of supporting terrorism and bloodshed in Syria over the past three years to destroy the country.

Collective efforts

Saadeh talked about the efforts being exerted by many groups of parliamentarians to make contacts with the Syrians abroad and with their counterparts in all countries of the world even in the countries which prevented the elections, aiming to defend the Syrians’ right to vote in elections and to remind these countries that they are confiscating the Syrian people’s right to self determination. She pointed to the active coordination with the Syrians abroad to make protests in front of the Syrian embassies or the government buildings of these countries to condemn the West’s democracy claims.

Multi-candidate elections

Saadeh hailed the brave decisions made by the two Presidential candidates Dr. Hassan al-Nouri and Mr. Maher Hajjar to take part in the presidential race. She also hailed the real, clear and brave electoral programs and views of the two candidates, who enjoy the respect of all the Syrians.

“We back democracy, political pluralism and multi candidate elections whether in the present or in future eras, because Syria wants leaders, not only in the post of the president, but leaders in all the state’s institutions and this needs enough accumulated political expertise and enough time to be achieved,” she said.

MP Saadeh expresses her belief that Dr. Bashar Al-Assad is the best to lead the coming era in the country.

She

criticized all the opposition parties in Syria, both the newly established and the old ones, for not presenting their own candidates or at least agree on presenting a common candidate.

“We need a new type of different electoral process in Syria to be an example to follow in the years to come and all of us are now responsible to produce a new generation which carries the characteristics of leaders, not necessarily as presidents,” she added.

She explained why “opposition” parties didn’t present a candidate by saying that some of these parties needed a braver decision and a stronger popular base to be part in these elections. Some others, like the “Coordination Commission” and similar foreign-funded opposition parties and political currents abroad, which carry foreign agendas, have turned themselves to be part in the anti-Syria alliance and spent the money they got in arming and training terrorists to fight the state instead of building a true popularity on ground.

Women Presidential Candidates

The fact that two Syrian women have applied for presidential candidacy was a source of pride to the Syrian people, according to Saadeh.

She said “it was as a message proving the Syrian women’s ability to be in this position of responsibility and asserting their active and leading role in Syria’s political life” at a time when women, particularly in the Gulf states, which have been feeding sedition in Syria and supporting takfiri terrorist groups’ crimes against the Syrians, are not able to get the minimum level of their rights.

Syria for all

However, Saadeh was critical to article No. 3 of the Syrian constitution which doesn’t grant Christians in Syria the right to nominate themselves for the post of the president and called for removing it to keep the diverse Syrian fiber away from the slightest level of sectarian thinking.

Brain-washing

As an architect, Saadeh has established a strong network of relations in the West that helped her, as an independent MP, find a suitable environment to convey a message, in cooperation with Syrians there, about what is really going on in Syria and to explain the conspiracy hatched against the country.

“During my visits to some Western countries, I had the opportunity to sit to a dialogue table which brought together all Syrian sects and political belongingness. Unfortunately, I found that some of our sons abroad were the victims of brain washing operations either by the media, or by the groups, associations or organizations which have spared no effort to fabricate lies and falsify facts and images about Syria. Such contacts are necessary to keep a kind of balance and at least limit brain-washing,” she said.

 

Reconciliations

The Syrian Army’s battle against terrorism continues in different Syrian areas to rid the country of takfiris and terrorists and pave the way for fruitful national reconciliations.

“National reconciliation is a humanitarian work that needs collective efforts by the government, parliament members, civil society, social associations and every person who feels responsible for helping the society by contributing to halting violence and attaining peaceful settlement, Saadeh said, referring to the failure of the western and regional powers and their tools in Syria in achieving their scheme.

 She also referred to the state of frustration which hit the armed groups and led many misled Syrians to reconsider their mistakes and return to live under the state’s umbrella. The strength of the Syrian state and political system and the government’s keenness to forgive repentant people has contributed to the success of reconciliations.       

On the post-elections era, Saadeh said “all the Syrian people are waiting and supporting these elections and all back Dr. Bashar Al-Assad, but after elections the people need new strategies, teams for Syria based on more justice, equal opportunities, deeper political pluralism and more effective joint action between the state and society. The society has great potentials that need to be invested to build a new state.

According to the MP, the government-backed national reconciliation is the way to the final solution to the crisis in Syria, but this reconciliation is not enough. The areas which witnessed such an experience need social and economic reactivation through carrying out small and medium-sized enterprises that help crisis-affected people find jobs, return to their homes so as normal life is restored and reconstruction starts.

The so-called “”opposition”, both inside and outside Syria, didn’t know how to play the role of real opposition or create a real project which can be different from the project of the authority. They should have a project and be able to convince society in this program to have a popular base,” she said.

Regarding the Syrian People’s Assembly invitation letters to the parliaments of the friendly countries to follow up Syria’s presidential elections, Saadeh said: “We greatly trust the honesty and credibility of the elections.”

 

Interviewed by Hamda Mustafa