Indeed, but the best way to say "No" to Bashar is when we choose to boycott the entire system that was set u to allow someone like him to lord over us, to reject the whole Baath-imposed referendum system that deprives us of a real choice, to refuse to take part in the farce that is played on our expense.
May 27th should be the National Flu Day, or whatever you want to call it. And despite the fact that we, of the opposition, seem to be issuing the call for boycott, in truth, it is the Syrian people who are taking the lead here. Reports from various parts of Syria are showing that, despite attempts at intimidation and mobilization, people are not showing up in massive numbers to take part in the "popular" demonstration of support for the President. In the city of Suwaida, the whole event was a failure from start to finish, even the security people petered out of the event at a steady pace, and the streets became empty within a few short hours.
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 and officials will report massive turnouts at the polling stations, and they might eventually succeed in arranging for a few mass demonstrations, by mobilizing army recruits, security personnel as well as Iraqi and Palestinian refugees, still, by day-end, the Syrian people will also be victorious, and they will emerge more empowered than ever, because by day end, 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.
Life may not have been smooth sailing for Bashar over the last few years, but from now, he is going to have to fight for his survival every day, and the challenge will come from the inside.
Regarding our Rally in DC, preparations are proceeding at they should, we are leaning towards holding the event between 9 and 11 am, to give people enough time to go on their long weekend. I should also point out that some people will be coming from as far away as Seattle to take part in the event and will leave on the same day. I am glad to see that there are those who seem to understand the importance of this event and are willing to go to some trouble in order to take part in it. It is really that important.
For Arabic speakers, here is a link to my recent interview on al-Hurra. I shall be more vociferous from now on.
Ammar Abdulhammid
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