2006年VOA标准英语-East Timor President Threatens to Resign

By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta
22 June 2006

East Timor President Xanana Gusmao has increased the pressure on his political rival, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, threatening to resign if Mr. Alkatiri refuses a call to step down.  Mr. Gusmao, the country's revolutionary hero, issued the threat after the ruling party refused to support the call for the prime minister's resignation.

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Xanana Gusmao (file photo)   
  
President Xanana Gusmao says he will submit his resignation to parliament on Friday unless Mari Alkatiri relinquishes¹ his role as the country's prime minister. 

The political brinksmanship follows an outbreak of violence in East Timor's capital, Dili, last month. Twenty-one people were killed during street battles between rival factions², and tens of thousands fled the chaos³.

Mr. Gusmao says Mr. Alkatiri may have the helped rebel groups who are blamed for starting the violence, and earlier this week called for his resignation. 

Haryadi Wiryawan, head of Department of International Relations at the University of Indonesia, says violence between East Timor's rival factions would erupt again if Mr. Gusmao followed through with his threat.

"If he did so, if he did resign, then the country would be plunged⁴ into really a turmoil," Wiryawan said.  "It would be chaos.  Either the elite⁵, which doesn't really like to see Mari hang on to power, will do something to ensure that he will resign.  But it will be very difficult for the country to be reunited."

On Thursday, the ruling Fretilin Party refused to support Mr. Gusmao's call for Mr. Alkatiri's resignation.

Later in the day, in a report by the Portuguese⁶ news agency LUSA, Mr. Alkatiri was quoted as saying he would not step down. 

But Professor Wiryawan says President Gusmao's stature⁷ could be decisive in the political battle between the two men.

"Xanana is a very respected leader of the country," Wiryawan said.  "And it also proves that the pressure on Mari to resign is a very serious one.  I don't see that as reason for Mari to resist this pressure."

Mr. Alkatiri came under criticism last month after he fired 600 military personnel who claimed they were discriminated⁸ against.  One of the disaffected soldiers, a former resistance fighter, has since implicated the prime minister in a plot to assassinate political opponents

1 relinquishes   

交出，让给( relinquish的第三人称单数 )； 放弃

参考例句：

• She relinquishes him to a partner more appropriate. 结果是，她抛弃了他，找了个年龄相当的伴侣。

2 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

3 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

4 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

5 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

6 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

7 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

8 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？