The party was funded and supported by the commercial class in Aleppo and administered by Rushdi al-Kikhya and Nazim al-Qudsi.

Barmada voiced his opposition to having a military officer serving in cabinet and called for the resignation of General Fawzi Selu, the minister of defense.

He constantly clashed with Selu and tried to prevent him from controlling the gendarmerie, claiming that if he lost, the civilian government would lose all ability to enforce its will throughout the country.

[3][4] In the second half of the 1950s, Barmada opposed the socialist policies of President Gamal Abdel al Nasser of Egypt and his meddling in the domestic affairs of Syria.

He made friends with Nasser's allies in Eastern Europe and appointed socialist leaders to prominent positions in government.

In 1958, Syria and Egypt merged to form the United Arab Republic (UAR) and Barmada voiced his opposition to the new regime.

[6] He married Fatima Barmada and had six children: Warka, Hassan, Jihad, Hala, Nour, and Assad.