2006年VOA标准英语-Opposition Lawmaker: Philippine Emergency

By Douglas Bakshian
Manila
27 February 2006

Philippines legislator Maria Imelda (Imee) Marcos is joining opposition¹ voices calling on President Gloria Arroyo² to end the state of emergency. Marcos - the daughter of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos - says she thinks the president is panicking in reaction to an alleged³ coup⁴ attempt and there is a danger the deteriorating⁵ political situation could open the door for a military takeover.

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Opposition Representative Imee Marcos made her case in a meeting with foreign correspondents here in Manila Monday. She compared President Arroyo's declaration of emergency rule Friday to the martial⁶ law imposed in the 1970s by her late father, dictator Ferdinand Marcos. But she says the current proclamation is worse because it is vague.

"Today we have a proclamation 1017. It is certainly not the same," she said. "This is martial law as presidential terrorism. This is the 1987 constitution stood on its head." 

Philippine Marines prepare to deploy⁸ following standoff at their headquarters at Ft. Bonifacio, east of Manila, due allegedly to the unannounced relief of its commander Maj.Gen.Renato Miranda Sunday Feb. 26, 2006   
  
Mrs. Arroyo declared the state of emergency on Friday after her government says it thwarted⁹ an attempted coup by an alliance of the right wing and communist forces. Her government has detained military and police officers - as well as charged more than a dozen opposition figures.

Marcos says the state of emergency is an overreaction and there is concern about who is really in charge.

"The fear here is that, I guess, [the] best case would be that the president … is panicking. But, on the other hand, the other fear is that no one is in control," said Marcos. "That this is just knee-jerk, and that it is all from moment to moment. And that strange forces - from the police and the military - are dictating¹⁰ to the president. We are not sure."

The military - which has been key in a dozen coup attempts in the last 20 years of democratic rule - appears to be fractured in the current political crisis.

The Armed Forces leadership has declared its loyalty¹¹ to the constitutional process - but several key officers have been implicated¹² in trying to overthrow¹³ the Arroyo government.

Just Sunday, there was a day-long standoff at the Marine⁷ headquarters with a rebellious¹⁴ officer calling for the public to march against the president in defiance¹⁵ of a ban of public rallies.

Representative Marcos says there are fears that the military may not be able to bring its ranks into order and that the public - fed up with corruption¹⁶ and poverty - is finding the idea of possible military rule appealing.

"The military suddenly has become an acceptable option to the man on the street," she said. "It is frightening to hear, but it has been said time and again, that a revolution should come about now. … I think it's really scary."

Marcos admits the opposition has no viable¹⁷ leader if Mrs. Arroyo were to leave power. And without someone to rally around, she says she doubts the people will take to the streets en masse - like they did to oust¹⁸ her father in 1986 and Mrs. Arroyo's predecessor¹⁹, Joseph Estrada.

Representative Marcos is just one of many voices speaking out. Former president, Corazon Aquino, once an Arroyo ally, has repeatedly called on her to resign.

Another former president, Fidel Ramos, says he is appalled²⁰ and dismayed by the emergency declaration, which he also criticized as being dangerously vague.

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 arroyo   

n.干涸的河床，小河

参考例句：

• She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
• They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

6 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

9 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

10 dictating   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的现在分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• The manager was dictating a letter to the secretary. 经理在向秘书口授信稿。 来自辞典例句
• Her face is impassive as she listens to Miller dictating the warrant for her arrest. 她毫无表情地在听米勒口述拘留她的证书。 来自辞典例句

11 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

12 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

14 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

15 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

18 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

19 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

20 appalled   

v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》