2007年VOA标准英语-Traditional Chiefs Wield Political Influence in

By Selah Hennessy
Freetown
10 August 2007

Opposition¹ candidates for the upcoming legislative² elections in Sierra Leone say the country's traditional rulers, many of whom have openly declared themselves in favor of the ruling party, have used their influence to sway the election unfairly. The rulers, also called paramount³ chiefs, say they are only fulfilling their traditional role, but analysts⁴ warn that they may be undermining the democratic process. Selah Hennessy reports for VOA from Freetown.

Parties compete for poster space

Sierra Leone's cities are in an election fever, adorned⁵ with party banners, campaign posters, flyers, T-shirts, hats, and even decorated sheep.

Posters from the National Election Commission tell people to "Vote for the candidates who share your concerns."

Some of the country's traditional chiefs, or paramount chiefs, say they are the ones who should tell the people what those concerns are and to advise them on which candidates will serve them best.

But speaking at a news conference in Freetown earlier this week, Christiana Thorpe, the chief commissioner⁶ of the National Election Commission, said the paramount chiefs have sometimes overstepped democratic boundaries.

"We have had the challenge of getting them to understand that their authority must not necessarily impinge on the democratic rights of their subjects," she said.

She says most paramount chiefs have not interfered⁷ with the peoples' rights to choose their favorite candidates, but some have.

 "I must say 75 percent of the paramount chiefs are ready to allow their subjects to use their franchise⁸ [choose by themselves]," she added.  "But we do have the 25 percent who I would say are stubborn."

Kamanda Bongay is a local paramount chief in Sierra Leone's second largest city, Bo.  He says he will encourage his people to vote for a particular party.

"I think it is important to support a particular political party that I feel will work in the best interests of the people," he explained.

A paramount chief in the ruling party

But he says they are free to vote for who they choose.

"I will not intimidate⁹ them, I will not use any language that will intimidate them somehow, they are free to vote for any political party that they would want to," he added.

Fidel Kamara is a Bo resident who comes from the Temne ethnic¹⁰ group, which has traditionally supported the leading opposition party.
 
He says Bongay, who threatened to close down a radio station in 2005 after its commentator¹¹ criticized the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party, harasses¹² those who support the opposition.
 
He says Bongay only allows supporters of the ruling party to use the city's public meeting point, or de barray as it is known in Sierra Leone, for party meetings.

"Whenever another political party wants to use the barray, he says no," said Mr. Kamara.

Sheik Sillah, the Bo district chairman of the leading opposition party, the All People's Congress, says some paramount chiefs are undermining democracy.

"They have the right to join any political party, but they do not have the right to go out openly and campaign for one political party," he said.

Frances Fortune, the West Africa regional director of Search for Common Ground, a non-governmental conflict resolution organization, warns that some paramount chiefs are aggravating¹³ an already tense political situation in parts of the country.  

"But certainly in the south and the east we have seen a lot of political intolerance that is generated and driven by the paramount chiefs," she said.

She says there is a close relationship between the ruling party and the paramount chiefs.

"The SLPP is the ruling party, and they pay the salaries of the paramount chiefs, and so they are their boss," she added.  "So how independent can they be?"

A campaigner works on posters in the paramount chief's office

She says the role of the paramount chiefs needs to change to suit a democratic era in Sierra Leone, so that all people are treated equally and not as subordinates to a local chief. 

"You know, we are into the new millennium¹⁴, and Sierra Leoneans are realizing that they are citizens and they have rights," she noted¹⁵.

 But she adds that paramount chiefs continue to play a vital role in Sierra Leone, carrying the weight of their country's culture on their shoulders.
 
She says they are important leaders who serve as peacekeepers within communities and can use their influence to bring development to Sierra Leone.

1 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。

2 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

3 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

6 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

7 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

9 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

12 harasses   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的第三人称单数 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• This man harasses his female co-workers. 这个人骚扰他的女同事。 来自互联网
• A drone attacks and harasses the SCV building the bunker, preventing it from being completed. 但工蜂攻击并骚扰建造这座掩体的工程兵，阻止工程兵完成掩体的建造。 来自互联网

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 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。