2006年VOA标准英语-Guinea Bissau Leaders Seek New Strategies for D

By Kari Barber
Dakar
28 November 2006

Top officials from one of the world's poorest nations, Guinea Bissau, met in Senegal recently to form a strategy to alleviate¹ persistent² poverty.  In the informal meeting, representatives from donor³ nations and aid organizations had the chance to ask how their money is being spent.  Kari Barber attended the meeting on Senegal's Goree Island and has this report.

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Officials speak to Guinea Bissau donors⁴ about development
Several years after an election process put behind years of coups⁵ and conflicts, Guinea Bissau's economy still has failed to recover.

A government minister, a military colonel, top business officials, a scholar, civil society leaders and a lawmaker met for four days to create a plan for stability and economic growth.  The next step was to present the plan to donor countries and organizations to ensure their financial support and guidance.

Economic Minister Issufo Sanha introduced a four-part plan for recovery.  Sanha emphasizes balancing social and political stability with economic growth.

The steps include making the government more transparent⁶ and accountable; creating jobs in the private sector⁷ through micro-financing - improving access to basic social services like education and health - and considering the needs of vulnerable groups in society like the elderly and children.

 
Issufo Sanha
Sanha says good governance is needed to create an environment where the private sector can flourish.   He says dialogue with donor countries and organizations is essential.

It is in the private sector that Macaria Barai is trying to revive her country.  Barai, who is the president of the chamber⁸ of commerce of Bissau, says some donors have lost confidence in the nation.

"You know when you have a vision and you tell people and they have to think about it, especially in terms of Guinea Bissau that nobody now believes that it is capable of staying away from conflict definitively," she said.

Despite a history of military upheaval⁹ since independence from Portugal, Barai says Guinea Bissau is a young country and needs another chance to prove it is capable of good governance and political stability.

"After the colonial era we had only one high school, so how do you expect this whole population to be good managers, to be good technicians, etc," she added.  "So it is like they supported people who at the time didn't know the value.  They were not trained.  So, now we want to be trained."

Aid workers said economic reform and stability in Guinea Bissau also depends on a reformed military.  It was a military mutiny in 1998 that resulted in civil war.   In 2003, it was the military who overthrew¹⁰ then-president Kumba Yala.

Colonel Arsenio Balde, from the military tribunal, says laws are being put into place to rein¹¹ in the power of the security forces in the country.

"The reform is exactly to achieve that goal to have the army under control of civilian¹² elected personnel to avoid any future clashes and problems, crises, coups and things like that," he said.

Balde says poor living conditions and lack of food for the military are also aggravating¹³ the situation.  He says these can be solved with a proper budget.

In 2006, aid from international donors in Guinea Bissau totaled more than $250 million.  Experts stressed more transparency was needed in the government to handle aid money.  Guinea Bissau usually ranks as one of the most corrupt¹⁴ countries in the world, in surveys done by economic watchdog groups.

1 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

2 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

3 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

6 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

9 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

10 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

11 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

12 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

13 aggravating   

adj.恼人的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• How aggravating to be interrupted! 被打扰，多令人生气呀！
• Diesel exhaust is particularly aggravating to many susceptible individuals. 许多体质敏感的人尤其反感柴油废气。

14 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。