VOA常速英语2008年-Niece of Slain Former PM Bhutto Criticizes Dyna

By Claudia Blume
Hong Kong
03 March 2008

Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto, niece of assassinated¹ former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, says last month's elections in Pakistan were not a victory for democracy, but rather a continuation of dynastic politics. Claudia Blume reports from Hong Kong, where Fatima Bhutto talked to journalists.

Last month, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf admitted defeat, after the two main opposition² parties won the clear majority in Pakistan's elections. One, the PML-N, is lead by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The other, the PPP, is the party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Ms. Bhutto's designated heir is her 19-year old son.

President Bush called the vote a victory for Pakistani democracy. However, not everyone in Pakistan shares that view. Some of the toughest criticism comes from a member of the Bhutto family: writer and journalist Fatima Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto's niece.

Speaking at Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club, Monday, the 25-year old said there is a perpetual cycle of dynastic politics in Pakistan.

"We have had 30 years of dynastic politics and it has been disastrous," said Bhutto. "It hasn't empowered the people. It hasn't strengthened democratic institutions. It has not played any role in democratic reform. We have a country of 165 million people that have three choices -- they can vote for the Bhuttos, they can vote for the Sharif's or they can vote for the Musharrafs -- that's it. And, obviously that is not sustainable."

Fatima Bhutto says she does not believe in birthright politics and has no political ambitions, herself. Instead, she says she wants to bring problems in her country to the world's attention.

One of the issues she is most concerned about is forced disappearances⁴ in Pakistan. She says scores of people have disappeared in the country, especially in Baluchistan Province. She says the phenomenon started with the search for al-Qaida and Taliban suspects, as part of the American-sponsored war on terror.

"Now, people are disappearing because they are Baluch and because Baluchistan should have control over its own gas fields," said Bhutto. "And, that has nothing to do with the Americans, not yet. And, people are being disappeared because they are provincial⁵ activists⁶, because they are professors that come out and say: 'In the constitution of Pakistan, we can't have military dictators. This constitution has been destroyed and these men should be put on trial for treason.' And, that's why they are being disappeared now."

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said last year that at least 400 people have disappeared since 2002 and estimated that hundreds more may have been taken away by state agencies. President Musharaff maintains that the government is not involved in the disappearance³ of people.

1 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

4 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

5 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。

6 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》