2006年VOA标准英语-Former Rebel Wins in Aceh's First Elections in

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Banda Aceh
27 December 2006

Indonesia and its tsunami¹-ravaged Aceh province have taken another big step away from their conflict-ridden past with first-ever direct elections in the former separatist region. The historic December 11 provincial² vote - part of a 2005 peace deal - has ushered³ in a former rebel with the Free Aceh Movement as governor. Now the focus is on Aceh's future and the prospects⁴ for rebels-turned-politicians making good on promises to lift the people out of poverty and fighting. VOA correspondent Nancy-Amelia Collins was in Banda Aceh for the election and brings us more on the story.

 
Irawandi Yusuf (File)
Irawandi Yusuf - a former separatist rebel fighter in the Free Aceh Movement, known as GAM - will become the first directly elected governor of Aceh when official results are announced in early January.

Irawandi, a former professor and political prisoner, campaigned on a platform promising⁵ economic recovery, and access to health care and education for all Acehnese.

People here say Irawandi appealed to what they want most: a chance to prosper⁶ and live without threat of violence or war.

Fatimah is happy to have had the chance to vote in the December 11 elections for governor, mayors and other top posts. She says now that things are peaceful in Aceh, she hopes the new governor will concentrate on improving the economy.

 
An Acehnese woman casts her ballot⁷ at a polling station, 11 Dec 2006 
This election would have been unthinkable before the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami roared across Aceh killing⁸ almost 170,000 people and destroying most of the infrastructure⁹.

But that same disaster propelled Jakarta and GAM to put aside differences and work together to address the devastation¹⁰. That cooperation resulted in a peace agreement signed in August 2005 - ending nearly three decades of war that claimed more than 15,000 lives.

The deal ends the province's quest for independence but allows Acehnese more control over how they are governed and a 70 percent share in the revenue from the provinces vast oil and gas resources.

The fact that GAM negotiated successfully to get Aceh more money appears to have been a factor in its success in the elections.

Sidney Jones, the Southeast Asia director of the International Crisis Group in Jakarta, says Irawandi likely won the election for governor because the majority of Acehnese perceive GAM as representing their interests.

"I think GAM is very relevant because … it represents the aspirations¹¹ of many Acehnese who feel they've been cheated or deprived of what they might have had under the Indonesian government based in Jakarta," said Jones.

It is clear the elections are giving a mandate¹² to the former rebels - who now must learn how to govern as they address enormous public need. But the election process also has revealed splits within GAM.

Jones says the split - which pits rebels who stayed in Aceh to fight against those who fled to Sweden, where GAM maintained a government in exile - could hurt GAM's political future.

"I think it's less over issues, the split, than it is over perceptions of what Aceh is and should become and perceptions over who did what during the conflict," she said. "I think it does have ramifications¹³ for the future because I just think it will be all that much harder to organize a political party when you have this infighting."

For their part, the rebels do acknowledge some differences in opinion but downplay their significance.

"From our point of view, there is no split in GAM," said GAM spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah. "  GAM is still united as a movement, but of course, in all revolutionary movements, due to the transformation¹⁴ process, it happens, differences of opinion, but the unity¹⁵ of GAM is still intact."

In keeping with the peace accord, GAM will be forming its own political party soon, with hopes of fielding candidates for local parliamentary elections in 2009.

Jones, from the International Crisis Group, says if GAM can stay united it has a good chance of winning a significant number of seats in 2009.

"What they would like to do, I think, is to be able to control a local parliament, control the laws made by that local parliament, so they can put the idea of self government to the test," she added.

Jones says after all the war and grief from the tsunami, Acehnese are beginning to think things may improve.

"It's very exciting for Aceh and I think nobody knows what the final outcome is going to be. It's a story where we've had a lot of chapters of war and bloodshed…and we have a lot of people not quite sure yet that the peace is going to hold, but beginning to think that maybe there is a happy ending after all," said Jones.

And a better future is what people here say they now can chart through the ballot box.

1 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

2 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

3 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

5 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

6 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

7 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

12 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

13 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

15 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。