VOA标准英语2010-Activists Hold Little Hope for 2010 Elect

Burma is now preparing for elections at the state, regional and national level. But the country's much-criticized election laws prompted the main opposition¹ party to opt² out, leaving many activists⁴ disheartened and disgruntled.

This is how Burmese, pro-democracy advocates living in India reacted to new election rules in Burma. The rules essentially⁵ bar Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders from running.

"Because General Than Shwe led by military government they are cheating the people," said one protester.

Burma's ruling military junta⁶ says it will hold free and fair elections this year for the first time in two decades. Priscilla Clapp, the former mission chief at the U.S. Embassy in Burma, says that while elections are a step in the right direction, Burma's constitution finalized⁷ in 2008 ensures strong control by the military. 

"Many senior military leaders have resigned and they are already out campaigning," said Priscilla Clapp.

Burma's constitution bars political prisoners from running for office. The iconic Aung San Suu Kyi heads the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy or NLD, but she has been under house arrest for 14 of the last 20 years.  Her party has opted⁸ out.

"How can the NLD in good conscience register themselves as a political party and participate in these elections when all of their leaders who have suffered so heavily for their engagement would be precluded⁹ from engaging with this new government," said Jared Genser.

Washington attorney Jared Genser is Aung San Suu Kyi's international counsel. He has a lot to say about the junta's upcoming elections, none of it good.

"I think they learned their lesson from 1990 when they actually allowed for a free and fair election and lost in a landslide¹⁰ and they are not going to allow that sort of thing to happen again," he said.

Genser is the president of Freedom Now, a group in Washington that works for the release of political prisoners worldwide.  He recently helped to secure freedom for Burmese-born American Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung. The pro-democracy activist³ was arrested in September in Rangoon where he traveled to visit his sick mother. 

"I am seeing people dying in front of me without any water or any treatments," said Nyi Nyi Aung.

Nyi Nyi Aung says most Burmese feel the junta's elections are a sham¹¹, reminiscent of the elections in 1990, when the military refused to relinquish¹² power despite losses at the polls. He says democracy's best hope is constant, steady pressure from the international community. 

"In my case when the U.S. government requests to the regime for my release and right now I am sitting in front of Congress and I am in the United States and I am free," he said.

Nyi Nyi Aung and other Burmese pro-democracy advocates say the United States has less leverage¹³ on Burma, following years of economic sanctions.  Last year, the Obama administration announced a new policy toward Burma of pragmatic engagement.  Analysts¹⁴ say the junta still responds to international criticism, but that China, India and Burma's other allies within the Association of South East Asian Nations should be at the table for any dialogue on national reconciliation¹⁵.

Japan and Malaysia recently urged Burma to hold free, fair and inclusive general elections.  And Ambassador Clapp thinks even a flawed election holds promise.

"They are going to have to start somewhere," said Priscilla Clapp. "They will have to allow some degree of debate.  Right now they allow absolutely none."

Hope still for democracy in what was once one of Southeast Asia's wealthiest nations, but now among the poorest.
 

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 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 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》

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

7 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

9 precluded   

v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通

参考例句：

• Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor. 因为没有可能的继承人，让位无法实现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bad weather precluded me from attending the meeting. 恶劣的天气使我不能出席会议。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

11 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

12 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

13 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

14 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。

15 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。