Jarba Slap Draws Memories of Hafez 50 Years Ago

Enab Baladi – Issue #91 Nov. 17, 2013

Nobody knows from where Jarba draws his legitimacy to speak for the Syrian people

In June 1967, the deposed then defense minister, Hafez Assad slapped Abdul Rahman Al-Aktaa.

Aktaa, who was the Health Minister at the time, asked about the circumstances surrounding fall of Quineitra, after he claimed he was inside the city at the time and had not seen any trace of the Israeli enemy.

Assad, who slapped him, proved to be a traitor and an agent for country’s enemies. He took the country, the people to himself and his descendants down, and, until this very day, Syrians pay the price for his villainy.

Aktaa maintained his dignity, but ended up being controlled by Assad senior.

The second slap in Syrian history was by Ahmed Jarba, the head of the Syrian National Coalition, who struck Louay Mokdad during the preparations for Geneva conference. According to leaks, Jarba wanted the representatives of Kurds, who are prepared to go to Geneva, to enter the Coalition, while Mokdad insisted on greater representation of the Free Syrian Army, which is not enthusiastic about the forthcoming conference.

We do not know a lot about Jarba, except that he holds a Saudi passport and he is considered a member of Michel Kilo’s movement. No one knows exactly what Jarba does or what gave him the qualifications to lead the revolution.What we do know is that he has been imposed on the subjects and the country by those who assume they know its interests more than most of us – Uhe appears to be using the same mechanisms that brought the first slapper to power and brought us to where we are.

Mokdad is no more transparent. Only God knows who is he and where this “official spokesman” of the Free Syrian Army came from. We still don’t know exactly what this man gave to the revolution and the revolutionaries.

Kurds have the right to have a decent representation in the opposition and the right to object to their marginalization. Their insistence on naming Syria as a Syrian Republic is the most logical option, without imposing the forced “Arabic” adjective.

Similarly with regard to the Free Syrian Army, it is not unreasonable that hotel’s opposition has votes more than those on the ground and in the trenches.

Without transparency and responsibility we will continue to receive the slaps, and even the explosive barrels.

Translated and Edited by The Syrian Observer