New Social Contract of Syria’s AANES should preserve public freedoms: activists
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, activists in the city of Raqqa, north Syria, said that the new Social Contract of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) should preserve public freedoms and concentrate on reconstructing the administration.
The committee responsible for drafting the new Social Contract is about to finish its work and soon they will announce the results, according to statements by officials of the AANES.
The committee should maintain “adequate representation of all communities of Syria’s northeast,” said Deham al-Sattam, civil activist from Raqqa.
The first public freedom that should be protected by the Social Contract is individual freedom, “since individual energy is a motive for building a powerful group that believes in its goals,” al-Sattam told North Press.
The activist pointed out that drafting the Social Contract should take into consideration the principle of separation of powers and organize political action in areas of northeast Syria.
On Monday, the Mari Development Organization launched the Washa’ij (Ties) initiative that included a workshop to discuss the recommendations of the drafting committee, with the attendance of civil activists from Raqqa and AANES officials.
Civil activists concentrate on releasing recommendations to the committee “calling for reconstructing the AANES,” said Abdulhakim al-Khalaf, a civil activist from Raqqa.
There should be a space for public freedom “knowing that it currently exists, but with a narrow margin that is not appropriate for a democratic experience that civil society organizations seek to support and succeed,” al-Khalaf told North Press.
“The new Social Contract will be ratified either through popular referendum or voting by the general council of the Administration,” co-chair of AANES General Council Farid Atti said in mid-June.