Bashar Al-Assad must be stopped

Opinion by Mutsa Murenje

I don’t have the requisite financial, technological and physical wherewithal and/or competencies to stop Bashar al-Assad from killing innocent people in Syria but I can never doubt that I might as well make use of my pen which, apparently, is mightier than the sword, to add my candid thoughts on the ongoing Syrian civil war.

However, my use of the pen may not be as prominent as that of Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Peter Abrahams and the late Chinua Achebe. The trio are renowned for tackling gargantuan subjects to such an extent that they are generally considered to be for literature what Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta and Nelson Mandela are politics.

Recognising the fact that I haven’t chosen a smaller path either, I have decided a few days ago to say something concerning the Syrian crisis. I am implementing this noble and worthy decision today.

I am a Zimbabwean, an African and a global citizen with a deep penchant for world politics. Because of my interest in world matters, particularly world politics, I won’t forgive myself for being silent regarding the Syrian crisis.

As the Dalai Lama rightly observed, “It’s in our interest to take care of others. Self-centredness is opposed to basic human nature. In our own interest as human beings we need to pay attention to our inner values. Sometimes people think compassion is only of help to others, while we get no benefit. This is a mistake. When you concern yourself with others, you naturally develop a sense of self-confidence. To help others takes courage and inner strength.”

It has taken considerable courage and inner strength for me to come up with this. I am generally known for addressing the Zimbabwean crisis with isolated references to other countries here and there. I wouldn’t want to belittle myself anymore by focusing only on the Zimbabwean situation; I can definitely say something about the Egyptian and Syrian crises.

For today, however, focus is on Syria especially in view of the mulled targeted military action against the Assad regime whose family has been in power since 1971! I take it for granted that most readers are knowledgeable that the Syrian uprising is an ongoing armed conflict between forces loyal to the Ba’ath government and those seeking to oust it.

Documentary evidence points to the fact that the conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were part of the wider Middle Eastern protest movement popularly known as the Arab Spring.

Protesters, since then, have been demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad whose family has held the presidency in Syria for the past 42 years, as well as the end of Ba’ath party rule, which began in 1963.

As of June 2013, the United Nations reported that the Syrian death toll surpassed 100,000 people. We also understand that 4 million Syrians have been displaced within the country while 1.8 million have fled to other countries.

In addition, tens of thousands of protesters have been imprisoned and there are reports of widespread torture and terror in state prisons. The use of chemical weapons on 21 August is believed to have resulted in the death of 1,429 Syrian civilians near Damascus with 426 of the killed being children.

Is it then prudent to keep quiet in the face of all this? I believe it is a disservice to humanity to remain silent in the face of this brutality. It is unfortunate that countries like Iran, Russia and China continue to side with the Assad regime.

Russia and China have opposed military intervention in Syria throughout the revolt. They have vetoed three United Nations Security Council resolutions backed by Western and Arab states that would have put more pressure on Damascus to end the violence.

A few months ago, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil was quoted as having said “… direct military intervention in Syria is impossible because whoever thinks about it … is heading towards a confrontation wider than Syria’s borders.”

It seems to be making sense now because Iran seems to be threatening Israel if the United States intervenes militarily in Syria. But President Barack Obama has also been very clear. Earlier this year, Obama had this to say;

“We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilised. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation”.

True to his word, United States President Barack Obama has decided to act and I believe he will get the much-needed authorisation from the United States Congress. I am equally encouraged that British Prime Minister David Cameron is under a lot of pressure to consider a second vote following his first defeat in parliament when British parliamentarians voted against military intervention in Syria.

And it is also heartening to learn that French President Francois Hollande is more than ready to help innocent lives that are being brutally and viciously ended by the Assad regime.

The time has come and now is for all us, no matter how small, to add a voice to world matters so as to alleviate human suffering whether caused by war, conflict, or natural disasters-with open minds and hearts to all people.

For, although international organisations have accused both Syrian government and opposition forces of severe human rights violations, the United Nations investigations have established beyond argument that the government’s abuses are the greatest in gravity, frequency and scale hence the need to stop Assad before many more lives are lost.

In addition, I maintain that genuinely rational politics requires membership in a particular type of moral community. I put it to you!