Hafez al- Assad's portrait appeared everywhere

A revolutionary decision in a country accustomed to the face of the leader on every bus stop and telephone booth.

It became a sort of game for me, watching the billboards change: one day there was Bashar, the next day washing powder - not all of them at once though, that would have been too much of a shock.

Waiting game

Actually the real sport in Syria right now is the waiting game, everyone's waiting to see what kind of leader Bashar al-Assad will turn out to be, how the untested and apparently mild mannered son will deal with the wild and woolly world of Syrian power politics.

Syrians hope Bashar will reform the inefficient economy

Observers give him a minimum of six months to put his stamp on the country: either he'll be pushed aside, one said to me, or he'll become the play thing of other forces, or he'll show qualities of leadership, such as manipulation and ruthlessness.

Hmmmm... the western educated eye doctor is said to have a good bedside manner, maybe he's not savage enough for the job.

But he does seem to know what he wants: his inauguration address included a carefully thought-through plan for urgently needed social and economic reform, delivered like a professor giving a lecture.

New kind of language

Revolutionary, was the description of some: Bashar al-Assad used language never before heard in a Syrian speech: accountability, transparency, responsibility, he was speaking in World Bank terms!

Bashar al-Assad lacks political experience

There is a need, he said, no, a desperate need, for creative minds and constructive criticism, for new ideas, for accurate figures: this in a country that doesn't even issue unemployment statistics.

Are we democratic, he asked rhetorically, then went on to explain that democracy was essentially about tolerance, accepting the opinions of other people.

Members of parliament sat quietly, stunned I think, as if they didn't know how to respond.

When Bashar got to the bit about the peace process and the need to return Syrian land, the deputies gave him a standing ovation: they seemed to be clapping as much in relief as approval, here was something at least they understood!

Which begs an important question: how do you transfer modern ideas to people who have no clue what you're talking about?

I went out like a missionary armed with a Bible, starting all my interviews by referring to the president: 'As Dr Bashar said...'

Who've shut off their minds, emotions and initiative to survive 30 years of authoritarian rule, who've learned only to play the passive role that's expected of them.

For me, at least, the speech was a weapon, a tool that might give people permission to speak their minds: I went out like a missionary armed with a Bible, starting all my interviews by referring to the president: "As Dr Bashar said..."

It didn't always work, as with the young man meant to be my example of the legion of educated Syrian youth who can't find jobs in their field. He was an engineer, but worked as a hairdresser in the family business.

Off the record he was candid about his frustration, but when it came to the crunch all he would say was: "I have a diploma in engineering, I like being a hairdresser."

Status quo

Clearly the breezes of change had not blown through his salon. But I couldn't really blame him or others who are afraid to talk.

This is a transitional period, no one really knows who's making the decisions, or who will come out on top.

Whatever his instincts, Bashar has to deal with powerful security and political interests that benefit from the status quo and have mindsets firmly rooted in the past.

For example, despite talk of greater press freedom, a leading Syrian journalist was recently stripped of his licence, for publishing forbidden material, he was told.

Hafez al-Assad may be physically dead, but he's not politically dead, said one observer; people haven't swallowed that reality yet. And just what do they know about the new reality?

Bashar is said to be neat, to enjoy cooking and reading. He cleans up after himself, criticises waste and excess, and wants to be treated like an ordinary guy, someone who hung out at a popular Damascus restaurant before he got his new title (I expect to see him back before long, the manager told me).

He drives his own car - as a matter of fact he drove himself to the polling station to vote in the recent presidential referendum.

Waiting game

He urged the local media to tone down exaggerated praise of the leader common under his father: in particular to quit calling them eternal leaders.

I suppose that may stop TV presenters from referring to Hafez al-Assad as the "late immortal leader".

And he obviously doesn't like billboards. Not exactly a typical Middle Eastern ruler then, perhaps too atypical: pulling down posters may be commendable, but Bashar al-Assad is also dismantling the power structure's main symbol of support for the leader.

As for the inaugural speech, some Syrians thought he came across as weak: he didn't speak loudly enough they said, an Arab leader must command fear and respect, FEAR AND RESPECT!

For the moment, I found that Bashar al-Assad commands curiosity, hope and uncertainty.

People are playing the waiting game, but at least they feel there are signs that the rules may be changing.