Service parties are an alternative solution in Syria
Political parties are organizations that seek to gain political power within governments through democratic participation in elections. Party members typically share similar ideas and ideologies about politics and work towards achieving specific goals that align with their beliefs and principles.
Political parties play a crucial role in the practice and establishment of democracies, authoritarianism, or both. They organize the political decision-making process and encourage cooperation among their members. Parties can be driven by ideological goals such as liberalism, conservatism, socialism, communism, populism, nationalism, and Islamism.
Forming a political party requires following a set of legal steps and procedures. The party must have clear goals and principles that align with national constitutions and laws, and its name should be unique and not resemble existing party names. Additionally, the party must prepare a basic system and internal regulations that include the rules governing its political, organizational, financial, and administrative affairs. A certain number of signatures from founding members must be collected, and in some countries, the law requires a specified number of signatures with official authentication. In stable countries, a written notification of the party’s establishment must be submitted to the relevant committee, accompanied by all required documents such as the basic system, internal regulations, names of founding members, a statement of the funds raised for establishing the party, and their sources, among others.
Types of parties:
Political parties in the modern concept can be classified into several main types:
- Ideological parties, characterized by their adherence to specific, fixed ideologies, such as socialist, communist, and religious parties.
- Pragmatic parties, which adopt flexible programs that change and evolve with real-world developments, including interest and minority parties.
- Personalist parties, which are associated with a particular individual or leader who establishes, leads, and directs the party according to their vision. These parties are prevalent in some Middle Eastern and Latin American countries.
In Syria, political parties include the National Progressive Front parties, such as the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, the Syrian Communist Party, the Arab Socialist Union Party, the Socialist Unionists Party, and the Arab Socialists Movement. Opposition parties include the Revolutionary Left Movement in Syria, the Syrian Republican Party, the People’s Will Party, the Syrian Democratic People’s Party, Kurdish parties like the Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria, the Kurdish Yekiti Party in Syria, and the Kurdish Azadi Party in Syria, as well as Islamic parties like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizb ut-Tahrir, and others like the Syrian National Youth Party, the Arab Democratic Solidarity Party, and the Syriac Union Party.
In the post-Syrian revolution era, many new parties emerged, which can be described as a political novelty. Some of them can be classified as parties, while others cannot. Some present themselves as popular forces and political shelters for the regions they control without using the party name for various reasons, such as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Salafi jihadist group formed in January 2017 through the merger of several armed factions, including Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) and others. Despite being considered an armed group with a history of ties to al-Qaeda, HTS is listed as a terrorist organization in many countries and international organizations due to its armed nature and jihadist ideology.
The same can be said about several entities in northwest and northeast Syria, and parties that emerged in Sweida, such as the Syrian Brigade Party, among others. These unique parties can be later classified within party typologies. Therefore, it can be argued that all parties in Syria, if correctly described, are ideological parties.
Service-oriented parties:
There is a type of party known as service-oriented parties or service parties. These parties focus primarily on providing social and economic services to the community rather than political ideologies. Their main goals include improving infrastructure, providing healthcare, education, housing, and other social services. Service-oriented parties are often local and operate at the municipal or small area level, aiming to meet the direct needs of local residents.
These parties can be highly effective in improving citizens’ quality of life by focusing on everyday, tangible issues and avoiding contentious political matters. Their role may evolve over time in various ways, especially if influenced by social, political, and economic changes, such as responding to local needs. Initially, service-oriented parties focus on meeting basic needs like infrastructure, healthcare, and education, but over time, their role expands to include more complex issues such as sustainable economic development and environmental protection. They may also interact with civil society and community organizations, enhancing their ability to provide integrated and comprehensive services that better meet community needs. Eventually, they may play larger political roles, influencing public policies and participating in higher levels of governance.
Service-oriented parties adapt to social changes such as demographic shifts and changes in social values, helping them remain relevant and effective in meeting the community’s changing needs. Examples of service-oriented parties worldwide include local parties in India like the Aam Aadmi Party (Common Man’s Party), which focuses on fighting corruption and providing basic services like water, electricity, education, and healthcare. Other examples include local parties in the United States and Europe, such as some parties in Scandinavian countries that focus on providing advanced social services like healthcare, education, and housing.
Service-oriented parties play an important role in improving citizens’ quality of life by focusing on everyday issues, enhancing public welfare, and responding to local needs, making them more effective in solving daily problems faced by residents and promoting community participation by encouraging citizens to engage in the political process through focusing on issues directly affecting them, thus enhancing local democracy. They also increase transparency and accountability by providing tangible services and have the significant ability to reduce social gaps by providing equal services to all community segments.
The question arises: can service-oriented parties take power in the country? Yes, absolutely, service-oriented parties can take power, especially if they enjoy broad popular support due to their focus on providing social and economic services directly relevant to citizens. The practical answer remains contingent on their existence, activation, popular acceptance, and creating a democratic atmosphere that allows them to reach elections and power.
Ideological parties:
The era of ideological parties has not entirely ended, unfortunately, but it has seen significant changes in recent decades. Ideological parties based on specific ideologies like communism, socialism, liberalism, nationalism, and Islamism still exist and play a role in global politics but face new challenges. Fundamental reasons for the decline of ideological parties include social and economic changes, the rise of service-oriented or pragmatic parties, which have become more attractive to voters seeking practical solutions to their daily problems rather than rigid ideologies, and changes in modern media and social media that have altered how people interact with politics, leading to the decline of traditional ideologies in favor of simpler, faster-spreading political messages. Internal challenges like divisions and internal conflicts also weaken the political influence of ideological parties. Nonetheless, they still play an important role in some countries and communities, especially during times of economic or social crises when ideologies can resurface as a means of offering comprehensive solutions, as is the case in Syria today.
Service-oriented parties as a ladder of revival in collapsed Syria:
We can theoretically agree that service-oriented parties could be an alternative solution in Syria instead of ideological parties, especially under the current conditions. Service-oriented parties focus on providing essential services to citizens, such as education, health, infrastructure, and social services, rather than political ideologies. Focusing on immediate needs and addressing citizens’ daily needs can improve quality of life and build trust between citizens and authorities. They can also reduce political polarization and tensions between different factions and de facto authorities by focusing on practical issues instead of conflicting ideologies. They can enhance stability by improving basic services and, most importantly, building trust. By providing tangible and effective services, they build citizens’ trust in the political system, enhancing political participation and popular support for a comprehensive Syrian solution and ensuring Syria’s unity as a land and people.
Under the current circumstances in Syria, there are many basic services that need to be focused on to improve citizens’ quality of life, enhance stability, and transition towards a Syrian solution and state-building, such as: improving access to basic health services, including hospitals, clinics, and medicines, providing preventive and curative healthcare, rebuilding schools, providing a safe and suitable educational environment for children and youth, and providing educational programs that enhance their skills and abilities, repairing and developing basic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water, and electricity networks to ensure the provision of essential services to citizens, providing safe and sustainable housing for families affected by the conflict, as well as reconstruction programs for affected areas, offering social support to poor and needy families, including food and cash assistance programs, enhancing security and safety in local communities by supporting, regulating, and legalizing security forces to provide a safe environment for citizens, providing job opportunities for youth and the unemployed through vocational training programs and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and finally developing electronic government services to facilitate access to government information and services, such as bill payments and obtaining official documents.
These services are considered essential for improving quality of life on one hand, and enhancing stability in Syria. Only service-oriented parties can break the current stalemate in Syria and build on the commonalities for Syrians.
Conclusion:
We must start from the premise that the current powers can, in one way or another, be described as “ideological parties.” Although this assumption is subject to debate and discussion, we proceed from the general meaning of the term “ideological party” combined with our unique Syrian experience and its specific political context.
This issue leads us to consider these parties incapable of creating a purely Syrian solution, leaving the resolution of the Syrian crisis awaiting external approval, which will not come without an agreement on our country that serves their interests first and foremost, at our expense.
This brings us to the hypothesis that there is a necessity for an alternative to these ideological parties to carry the Syrian solution. This alternative seems to be available in service-oriented parties. These parties can initially operate at a municipal level and then expand to a comprehensive national level, laying the foundation for a Syrian solution and imposing it on the de facto authorities from a place they cannot combat. The Syrian regime cannot describe a party that focuses on the necessity of Syrians possessing official electronic documents as a terrorist party. Nor can it describe a party that works on educating and providing healthcare to all Syrians as agents or Islamists. Conversely, neither the SDF, HTS, nor the National Army can prevent the establishment of such parties that do not fight them over the type of flag, culture, religion, or ethnicity.
Undoubtedly, the path is long, but it is essential to devise feasible solutions, which we see embodied in service-oriented parties.
Service-oriented parties in Syria play a crucial role in improving the social, economic, and political conditions of Syrian society. These parties contribute to providing essential services to citizens, improving infrastructure, and promoting sustainable development. Here are some points that illustrate the importance of having service-oriented parties in Syria’s future:
- Improving Public Services:
Service-oriented parties work on enhancing health, education, transportation, water, and electricity services, thereby raising the standard of living for citizens. - Promoting Local Development:
They contribute to the development of rural and remote areas through developmental projects that boost the local economy and provide job opportunities. - Representing Community Interests:
They represent the interests of different societal groups, working to meet their needs and demands through programs and policies. - Enhancing Democracy and Political Participation:
They encourage citizens to participate in the political process and enhance democracy by opening communication channels between citizens and the government. - Achieving Social Stability:
By addressing social and economic issues that lead to tensions and conflicts. - Combating Corruption:
They work on combating corruption and achieving transparency in managing public resources, increasing citizens’ trust in government institutions. - Promoting National Identity:
Through programs that promote peaceful coexistence and social solidarity. - Supporting the National Economy:
By encouraging investment and developing various economic sectors.
Thus, service-oriented parties are considered an essential part of the political and social structure in Syria, playing a pivotal role in achieving comprehensive and sustainable development.
Therefore, the Syrian Future Movement (SFM) offers multiple recommendations on the role of service-oriented parties in Syria to promote development and stability. These recommendations include:
- Activating the Role of Service-oriented Parties:
By enhancing their role in society and providing financial and technical support to implement their projects and developmental programs. - Encouraging Popular Participation in Party Work:
By encouraging citizens to join service-oriented parties and participate in the activities they organize. - Improving Public Services:
By focusing on improving the quality of public services provided to citizens, such as health, education, and transportation, and ensuring they are accessible to everyone without exception. - Fighting Corruption:
The Syrian Future Movement (SFM) recommends that service-oriented parties prioritize combating corruption by enhancing transparency and accountability in managing projects and services. - Promoting Local Development:
To improve the conditions of rural and remote areas and provide job opportunities for local residents. - Building Capacities:
By providing training programs to develop the capabilities of service-oriented party cadres in areas of management, planning, and project implementation to ensure efficient achievement of goals. - Cooperating with Local and International NGOs:
To achieve sustainable development goals and exchange experiences and knowledge. - Enhancing Communication with Citizens:
By creating effective channels to communicate with them, listen to their needs and problems, and work on meeting them. - Supporting Social Stability:
By adopting policies and programs aimed at promoting social stability and peaceful coexistence among the different components of Syrian society. - Promoting National Identity:
Through programs aimed at spreading values of tolerance and solidarity.
Through these recommendations, service-oriented parties can play a larger and more effective role in improving citizens’ lives and contributing to sustainable development in Syria.
Additionally, we recommend that Syrians, through their intellectuals and elites, work on establishing service-oriented parties (that stay away from and reject abhorrent ideologies), starting their activities in all areas under the control of de facto authorities (even if they are multiple). Practice will force them to unite in their regions first, then move towards merging with similar service-oriented parties in other areas. Second, to form a real nucleus towards a Syrian solution that compels today’s de facto authorities towards the option of a national state without ideological parties, resulting in no conflict but a race to serve our Syrian people everywhere.
Dr. Zaher Ihssan Baadarani
Presidency office
Article
Syrian Future Movement (SFM)
