The Syrian Future Movement and the Constitution
The Syrian Future Movement views the constitution as the fundamental document that defines the system of governance, authorities, rights, and duties within the state, and expresses the identity, desires, and aspirations of the people.
The Syrian Future Movement sees the constitution as a social contract between the ruler and the ruled, guaranteeing the latter their rights, safeguarding their freedom and dignity, ensuring their participation in decision-making, limiting the power of the former, and making them accountable to the people.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the constitution is a guarantee of the unity of the land and people, preserving diversity and plurality, and fostering a spirit of tolerance in society.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the historical depth of Syria’s constitutional history, dating back to 1930, and the constitutions of 1950 and 1973, which were amended several times, the last being in 2012, which was not the product of a free popular will but of a narrow party will controlling all the levers of power in the country.
The Syrian Future Movement strives for the constitution to be the product of a free and national Syrian will so that it gains its true authoritative power.
The Syrian Future Movement warns against tampering with the constitution and stresses the need to prevent any power, whoever it may be, from changing or interpreting it contrary to what the Syrian contract agreed upon.
The Syrian Future Movement rejects any constitution that stipulates any party as the leader of the people, society, and state.
The Syrian Future Movement rejects a constitution that does not express a genuine popular will but the will of an authoritarian regime, ruling by martial law to suppress any dissenting voice or demand for freedom or change.
The Syrian Future Movement believes in the role of the constitution in protecting citizens’ rights, ensuring participation and democracy, preventing despotism and exclusivity, and believes in its role in maintaining cohesion and harmony among the components of society, preventing discrimination and differentiation among them.
The Syrian Future Movement sees the need to reform or change the constitution in a way that aligns with the spirit of the Syrian revolution, aiming to build a modern, civil, and civilized state.
The Syrian Future Movement sees the necessity for the constitution to be the product of a comprehensive and transparent national dialogue, involving all representatives of the Syrian people at home and abroad, from all spectra, components, and regions, without exclusion or marginalization.
The Syrian Future Movement sees that the constitution should be based on fundamental human rights principles, on the basis of citizenship and popular sovereignty, and guarantee citizens their political, economic, social, and cultural rights, without discrimination or preference.
The Syrian Future Movement sees that the constitution should be respected by all authorities, and that there should be mechanisms to regulate, monitor, and hold power accountable, and that there should be an independent and effective judicial authority that protects and interprets the constitution.
The Syrian Future Movement sees that the constitution should be amendable by constitutional means, so that it keeps pace with developments and novelties in society, and that such amendments result from a popular will expressed by referendum, not at the whim of power.
The Syrian Future Movement believes in the necessity of raising public awareness of the importance and role of the constitution in determining the shape and destiny of the state and the people, and that this awareness should be based on knowledge, analysis, and criticism.
The Syrian Future Movement strives for the constitution to be in line with the current era’s conditions, benefiting from the experiences of advanced countries, embracing the Syrian people with its language, unity, and components, and suitable for Syria’s new stage.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the necessity of preventing the constitution from enabling any form of military coups.
The Syrian Future Movement sees the necessity of making the protection of minorities, political opposition, women, and the oppressed constitutional issues of priority.
The Syrian Future Movement rejects a constitution that is sectarian or sectarianism favoring one sect over another or hostile to religions and sects.
The Syrian Future Movement strives for the fundamental principles of the constitution to be civil, liberating, comprehensive, and rooted in social policies, comprehensive in defining citizenship, and protective of natural resources.
The Syrian Future Movement warns against neglect or complacency in appreciating the importance and danger of crafting and birthing a constitution that regulates the state and the people together, so it does not become a paper in the hands of a despotic authority or a tool for foreign countries! This would cause the people to lose their constitutional battle, for which great sacrifices have been made.
