VOA常速英语2008年-Britain More Muted Over Concerns Regarding Zimb

By Tendai Maphosa
Longdon
28 March 2008

Zimbabweans are preparing to go to the polls Saturday in national elections in which long-time President Robert Mugabe is asking for another term in office. Opposition¹ and human rights groups express doubts that the polling will be free and fair. But, unlike in previous elections, the British government has taken a much more muted view and less critical stance. Tendai Maphosa asks analysts³ why that might be the case.

Controversy⁴ over Saturday's elections has been raging for some time. Zimbabwe's opposition has accused President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party of planning to steal the vote. The human rights group, Amnesty International, told VOA that Zimbabwe's whole electoral process raises serious questions.

Amnesty spokesman Simeon Mawanza, who was recently in Zimbabwe, explains.

"Zimbabwe still falls way below international standards in terms of protecting very important rights to do with an election process which are freedom of expression, association and assembly," said Mawanza.

But, British officials have been more muted in expressing their concerns. Earlier this week Foreign Secretary David Miliband sounded a more cautious note. Asked what the British government would do if the elections in Zimbabwe are not free and fair, he told reporters that he wanted to avoid being seen as trying to affect the very tense situation in Zimbabwe. Miliband added he would wait until after the elections to talk about what Britain might do.

Political analyst² Knox Chitiyo agrees with Miliband. Chitiyo is from Zimbabwe and heads the Africa program at Britain's Royal Institute Services Institute for Defense⁵ and Security Studies (RUSI). He told VOA that previously⁶, negative comments from British officials were actually used by President Mugabe to rally support.

"I think the Brits are trying to get out of this whole British conspiracy⁷ hole which Mugabe has used very effectively," said Chitiyo. "The other thing is past elections there has been a lot of raising of opposition hopes. I think the British have been disappointed so many times so they are being a lot more cautious this time around just in case things [don't] pan out and it's business as usual."

Other experts agree. Thomas Cargill, Africa program manager at the Chatham House research center in London, says that President Mugabe was able to use outside criticism in the past, especially from Britain, as evidence that the former colonial power is still trying to meddle⁸ in Zimbabwe's affairs.

"We have seen much less comment and criticism of the process for this election than previous ones and I think the reason is that the outside world and particularly the UK is realizing that every time it makes what's been called a kind of megaphone intervention⁹ it really helps Mr. Mugabe and his portrayal¹⁰ of himself as standing¹¹ up to these neo-imperialistic aggressors," said Cargill.

Zimbabwe holds joint¹² presidential, parliamentary, senate and local council elections against the backdrop of the highest inflation rate in the world, high unemployment, and chronic¹³ shortages of food, fuel and electricity.

Critics of Mr. Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980, blame him for the country's crisis. Mr. Mugabe, however, blames the problems on sanctions imposed by former colonial power, Britain.

Mr. Mugabe's challengers in the presidential election are Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change and former finance minister Simba Makoni, running as an independent.

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 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。

3 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。

4 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

8 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

9 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

10 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。