2007年VOA标准英语-Criticism Rises of African Leaders' Silence on

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
20 March 2007

The Catholic Church in Zimbabwe has criticized the South African government for failing to use its economic clout² to pressure the Zimbabwean government for change. The announcement comes amid renewed protest in South Africa against what is perceived as the silence of African leaders over recent police abuses against opposition³ leaders in the country. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.

 
Archbishop Pius Ncube (file photo)
Zimbabwe's Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube Tuesday said South Africa is in a good position to put pressure on Zimbabwe and could force the government to change through sanctions if necessary.

But he said in a statement the South African government is merely watching.

The announcement came as a civic⁴ group of exiled Zimbabwean dissidents in South Africa criticized African leaders for remaining silent about the incidents which have brought condemnation⁵ from Europe and the United States.

Several dozen opposition leaders ten days ago were beaten while in police custody⁶ after they tried to gather for what was termed a prayer rally. One person died in the incident and several others were hospitalized. The group says dozens of other opposition activists⁷ have since been arrested.

An analyst⁸ with South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, Chris Moroleng, says the confrontation⁹ between the Mugabe government and its opponents has entered a new phase.

"They [authorities] are not waiting for incidents to occur but they are preemptively attacking the opposition and civil society before a direct confrontation takes place," he said.

 
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is seen in bed at a local hospital in Harare, 14 Mar¹ 2007
He says security agents now are also directly targeting the opposition leadership.

The Zimbabwe government accuses the opposition of instigating¹⁰ violence in the country.

President Robert Mugabe has remained defiant¹¹ in the face of international criticism and indicated in a recent address to members of his ZANU-PF party that he is prepared to continue the crackdown if the protests continue.

"They [the opposition will get arrested and will get bashed by the police," said President Mugabe.

Defenders¹² of South Africa's policy say behind the scenes diplomacy¹³ is far more effective than public posturing¹⁴. And broad economic sanctions would hurt primarily the Zimbabwean people who already are suffering from unemployment, inflation and shortages of food and services.

Analyst Moroleng says there is a growing feeling that African leaders should take stronger public positions even if they do not take punitive¹⁵ measures against Zimbabwe.

"What they should do is not intervene or engage with the Zimbabwean government in a manner that gives a perception of their support of ZANU-PF or of President Mugabe," he said.

He cites as positive steps the recent expressions of concern by the government of South Africa and by the government of Ghana which currently chairs the African Union.

And he notes that the security group of the Southern African Development Community is to meet in a few days to discuss the situation.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

5 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

10 instigating   

v.使（某事物）开始或发生，鼓动( instigate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Distant but clear Longyin instigating the eardrums of every person. 遥远却清晰的龙吟鼓动着每一个人的耳膜。 来自互联网
• The leader was charged with instigating the workers to put down tools. 那位领导人被指控煽动工人罢工。 来自互联网

11 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

12 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

14 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

15 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。