美国国家公共电台 NPR--Sri Lanka's president and prime minister resign amid an economic crisis

Sri Lanka's president and prime minister resign amid an economic crisis

Transcript¹

NPR speaks with Ahilan Kadirgamar, a political economist² at the University of Jaffna, about political turmoil³ in Sri Lanka.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

There will soon be new leaders in Sri Lanka. Both the president and prime minister announced they will resign after tens of thousands of protesters took over both of their official residences this weekend. Images show people splashing in the president's pool, playing card games in a bedroom and freely roaming the halls. Protesters are upset over the country's economic crisis and months of political turmoil. Joining us now is Ahilan Kadirgamar, who also protested this weekend representing the Federation⁴ of University Teachers' Associations. He's also a political economist and senior lecturer at the University of Jaffna in Sri Lanka. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

AHILAN KADIRGAMAR: Thank you for having me.

MARTIN: May I ask you, just at a personal level, what pushed you to join these protests?

KADIRGAMAR: The situation in Sri Lanka for a long time has been one problem after the other. We've had a civil war, and then following that, an authoritarian⁵ regime. I have been writing about these crises. But the last six months has been particularly severe with not only an economic crisis but a food crisis.

MARTIN: Can you explain more about the severity of the food crisis? Just what is the economic situation? How is it affecting people in their day-to-day lives?

KADIRGAMAR: Fuel is in short supply. Even cooking gas is in short supply. And there's been great price hikes. The roads are empty because there's no petrol and diesel⁶ for vehicles. The economy is grinding to a halt. But even more worrying is the fact that there are food shortages and price hikes of food as well, while people's livelihoods⁷ and incomes are declining or have been disrupted. So we are looking at a very serious food crisis, possibly even a famine in a few months, unless there's urgent action to remedy the situation.

MARTIN: I mean, what have been the president's justifications⁸ for the status quo here?

KADIRGAMAR: He's hardly listened to the people. And that's part of the anger against him as the crisis continue to deteriorate⁹. And, you know, he has a authoritarian military background. And he's been taking arbitrary decisions and ignoring the economy altogether. But it's not just him, his family and his whole regime that were in power completely mismanaged the situation. We might have been going into a crisis for many years now because of the flawed economic policies that Sri Lanka has been following, but it didn't have to get this bad. And that's the reason for so much anger out on the streets and a call for his resignation.

MARTIN: So it's my understanding that the president and prime minister have both now said that they will step down.

KADIRGAMAR: That's right. As of now, there's expectations that on Wednesday, both of them would resign. But then there is the hard task of forming some kind of an interim¹⁰ government so that some amount of political stability and economic stability can be brought to the country.

MARTIN: Are you tentatively optimistic?

KADIRGAMAR: The last few days and then the massive protests on Saturday itself was a euphoric moment for Sri Lankans. So there is optimism. And with the entire population politicized and concerned about the future of the country, we are on the right track. But we need a leadership that can carry the people out of this crisis.

MARTIN: Ahilan Kadirgamar is a political economist at the University of Jaffna. Thank you for your time.

KADIRGAMAR: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF PORTICO QUARTET'S "ART IN THE AGE OF AUTOMATION")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

6 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

7 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

8 justifications   

正当的理由，辩解的理由( justification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If he a vulgar person, she does not have justifications for him. 如果他是个低级趣味的人，她早就不会理他了。
• It depends on their effect on competition and possible justifications. 这则取决于它们对于竞争的影响和可能存在的正当抗辩理由。

9 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

10 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。