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Ammon News - By: R.B. Sinclair

AMMONNEWS - Last Wednesday, May 28, the Syrian embassy in Jordan opened its doors to Syrian nationals living in Jordan to participate in the country's presidential election.

The large numbers of people seeking to vote surprised some observers, especially when compared to the modest numbers of ant-Syria protesters.

Christian Syrian refugees were especial eager to exercise their democratic right to vote and raise their "muffled " voices relating to the Syrian crisis. The Pope's visit, just few days before the vote day, invigorated their determination to stand up for what they believe as Just and Right. Almost all of the refugees who gathered at Our Lady of Peace Center, a week earlier, confirmed to Ammon that they "can't wait to vote." Bashar must win to save Syria," a widowed mother of two said.


Threats of violence and election day misinformation, the wrong date and location, were spread to decrease the numbers of people wishing to vote. The declaration of Syria's ambassador as persona-non-grata, less that 48 hours before polling stations were to open, signaled Jordan's foreign ministry displeasure at holding the election at Syria's embassy. It is difficult to estimate how many electorates stayed away due to such attempts to disrupt the election.


Today, a high level Jordanian official said that "authorities" are using the Syrian election turnout, at the Embassy, as "barometer" to determine the numbers of

"dangerous sleeper-cells who constitute a direct threat to Jordan's security." According to the same high-level official, who did not want to be identified, "few days before the election, authorities noticed 'intensified activities' among a group of Syrians who live in Jordan, who are unemployed and some of them may have managed to secure assistance from the UNHCR." It was not clear whether the accusations were directed at the Syrian government or at agents of the insurrectionists. In fact, the high-level undercover official has described the status of %95 of the Syrian refugees.


Embedding a sleeper cell into a country requires a long term plan, extreme caution and minimum contact with their sponsor. Members of these clandestine intelligence stations are self-finance and blend into every day life in their local communities until "sent into action" for a specific mission. The claim that Syrian "sleeper cells" were "awakened" just to drum up (in most cases, literally) support for an election that was predetermined as fraud by Western powers, Israel and its allies, is nonsense.


Irresponsible anonymous declarations that aim to spread more fear among traumatized civilian refugees, is not in the national interest of Jordan.

Any government official who risks tipping the delicate balance of stability in Jordan must be held accountable, regardless of how "high-level" he is.


The fact remains, Syria's elections has highlighted the overwhelming support for Bashar Al-Assad by the Syrian refugees in Jordan. This could have caused some embarrassment to the advocates of military intervention in Syria. Still, to imply that the Jordanian government will seek retribution from Syrians who chose to assert their rights at the ballot, would be to the government's discredit.