Addressing the Syrians in a voice message,
Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam extended his greetings for Eid al-Fitr and reassured the Syrian people. He stated that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is “on the brink of collapse” and that the “corrupt family and its associates” will be arrested “soon.” He promised to replace the “tyrannical” regime with a democratic system “where the rule of law and institutions prevail” and “restore Syria to its glory, vitality, and status.”
Khaddam expressed that Syria has been marked by “stagnation” for many years under a regime that violated sacred principles, suppressed freedoms, violated human dignity, promoted taboos, immorality, and corruption, and sowed fear while causing immense suffering to the people. He emphasized that Syria’s greatest tragedy is being governed by a despotic ruler who cannot distinguish between right and wrong, justice and injustice, halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden), truth and falsehood. This ruler disregards the people and uses security agencies to protect his oppression and corruption.
He urged Syrians to question what Bashar al-Assad has done apart from spreading corruption, increasing suffering, and making wrong decisions that led to the failure of national unity and isolated Syria internationally and in the Arab world, weakening its ability to liberate the Golan Heights and support the Palestinian people.
Khaddam reassured citizens by stating that the corrupt and despotic regime is on the verge of collapse, and soon the ruler of opportunists and hypocrites who rallied around him will see their end. He stressed that the corrupt family and its associates will face justice, and the change will not involve replacing one ruler with another but will bring a democratic system where a civil state based on the rule of law and institutions prevails, with the people as the source of authority. This change will revitalize Syria and restore its standing and vitality.
He outlined the goals of the desired regime, which will be chosen by the people, by addressing fundamental issues in a “coordinated and simultaneous” manner. These goals include political reform, which must entail the release of public and individual freedoms, political participation, and the establishment of an election law that allows for free choice. Additionally, there is economic reform, with a program aimed at fostering economic development, encouraging investment, and promoting individual initiatives. State institutions and the judiciary should be reformed, addressing the root causes of corruption and establishing a system for monitoring and accountability. Radical reforms are also needed in the education sector. Special attention should be given to the youth of Syria.
He concluded his message by calling on Syrians to “prepare for the near future when you will participate in liberating the country from injustice, oppression, corruption, and tyranny. You will reclaim your right to choose freely your constitutional institutions and the country’s leaders and hold them accountable in the context of a democratic state where you are the authority.”
