As Syrians follow the Libyan model and began to organise more protests against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Malta and countries around the world, the Syrian regime has held a referendum to alter its Constitution.
Malta has already condemned the regime, the Government, the Opposition and the Green Party have all said that Bashar al-Assad must go. But will the 40-year-old London educated ophthalmologist go quietly? One doubts it very much.
Syria’s opposition has dubbed the referendum to be a “sham”, and who could possibly dispute that? As soon as Bashar Al-Assad announced that the referendum would be held, he immediately ordered his army to shell flashpoint towns.
The shelling, which activists say has killed 7,500 people over the past 11 months, continued yesterday, as the referendum vote was taking place.
And it is not only Syrians who have made the declaration. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said: “The referendum in Syria is nothing more than a farce. Sham votes cannot be a contribution to a resolution of the crisis. Assad must finally end the violence and clear the way for a political transition.”
The declaration came after a meeting Friday in Tunisa which brought together US, European and Arab officials. US President Barack Obama also had his say: “It is time for that regime to move on.“
EU heads of state will also gather for a European Council meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, and Syria is expected to be on the agenda for discussion. But it is 11 months since the uprising began, and it is a lot bloodier and intense than the one in Libya.
Turkey has been a major player, and Jordan is doing a lot behind the scenes to cater for refugees. But we must think of that figure again, 7,500 dead, in 11 months.
When is the world going to do something? As we saw with Libya, sanctions against the regime are effective, but just how long can the people keep it up? They seem determined, but this is no rag tag bunch of mercenaries. The Syrian Army is a lot more loyal than the Gaddafi army was, yet defections are taking place. But what can a few hundred automatic rifles do against the might of a well-trained army that has twice been to war with Israel.
The world cannot continue to sit and watch idly. People are dying every day. The Bashar Al-Assad regime is just as brutal, if not worse than that of his father Hafez. And yet the world watches, dumbstruck.