美国国家公共电台 NPR--New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern plans to leave office next month

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern plans to leave office next month

Transcript¹

Jacinda Ardern's announcement rocked the country's political landscape. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to professor Farida Jalalzai of Virginia Tech about the prime minister's legacy².

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Some other news now. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern surprised her country and the world by saying she will resign.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN: I am leaving because with such a privileged role comes responsibility - the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not.

INSKEEP: Ardern became the world's youngest female head of government when she was elected prime minister at the age of 37. Five years later, at age 42, she's had enough.

Farida Jalalzai is professor of political science at Virginia Tech, where she studies the role of women as national leaders. Welcome to the program. Good morning.

FARIDA JALALZAI: Thank you so much. It's my pleasure.

INSKEEP: Were you surprised by this announcement?

JALALZAI: I was absolutely shocked. I had no idea that this announcement was coming. I thought that she would certainly be running in the next elections. And I was receiving many emails and shocked messages from my colleagues around the world as a result.

INSKEEP: What place did she establish for herself - and, I suppose we should say, for women as world leaders - over the last five years?

JALALZAI: Well, I think that there's a lot to unpack³. I think, as a leader, just in general, she has been a role model in showing the power of empathy and kindness and compassion⁴, that these traits can really go a long way, and they can coincide with strength and determination. And she has, I think, an example that illustrates⁵ the importance of pragmatism, the valuing of consulting experts and understanding that sometimes it makes most sense to pivot⁶ given the circumstances, rather than just sticking dogmatically to strategies that aren't effective or even harmful. She was also an expert communicator, especially during times of crisis. And she had a lot of crises to deal with in her 5 1/2 years. And instead of just saying what the public wanted to hear, I think the public took comfort in her saying things that were just honest, but also reinforcing that she would help her nation through unprecedented⁷ challenges.

Obviously, we think of the importance of her being a woman at the helm. And I think, in general, she shows that true leaders don't just hold power for power's sake, but are motivated by a commitment to a larger agenda. As for women, I think she's someone who has served as an inspiration for many women. And we don't see a whole lot of women in high political posts. And so, though she's resigning, I think that her influence will be seen for decades to come.

INSKEEP: When you talk about her approach to crisis, are you thinking about her management of the pandemic, where New Zealand, we should recall, shut down, closed its borders for a long time and had very few cases for a long time?

JALALZAI: Yes. And of course, that came with some consequences and some criticisms that they had gone too far. But what she did, I think really masterfully, was prioritize the health of her people above everything. And when you think about the crises that she's dealt with - of course, right now New Zealand is experiencing economic problems - but I think with her looking ahead during the very beginning of COVID to how, as an island nation that relies a great deal on tourism, that there could have been a huge economic disruption in New Zealand, but strategies that she implemented⁸ to make sure that these threats were offset⁹ from the very beginning. And the way that she would, on a daily basis, communicate with the parliament and with the public and essentially¹⁰ when she realized, or her government realized, that they weren't going to be able to have a zero-COVID policy, they pivoted¹¹. And I think that's something that her crisis leadership also shows.

INSKEEP: She got a lot of attention on social media recently when she met with the leader of Finland, who is also a woman who is relatively¹² young. And they were asked a question about, what does it mean? The two of you are here, and you're very young and so forth¹³. And I believe they both effectively responded by saying, we're here to talk about substance. We're here to talk about policy. Does that say something about Ardern's governing style?

JALALZAI: It does because it shows that she's going to be willing to call out inequity and the discrimination that women, even at the highest levels, experience at the helm. And so I think that sends a larger message of how she can lead but also call out inequalities and is a proponent¹⁴ of feminism.

INSKEEP: Farida Jalalzai is a professor of political science at Virginia Tech. Thank you so much.

JALALZAI: Thank you. It was a pleasure.

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 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

4 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

5 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

6 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

9 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

10 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。

11 pivoted   

adj.转动的，回转的，装在枢轴上的v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的过去式和过去分词 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开

参考例句：

• His old legs and shoulders pivoted with the swinging of the pulling. 他一把把地拉着，两条老迈的腿儿和肩膀跟着转动。 来自英汉文学 - 老人与海
• When air is moving, the metal is pivoted on the hinge. 当空气流动时，金属板在铰链上转动。 来自辞典例句

12 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

13 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

14 proponent   

n.建议者；支持者；adj.建议的

参考例句：

• Stapp became a strong early proponent of automobile seat belts.斯塔普是力主在汽车上采用座椅安全带的早期倡导者。
• Halsey was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.哈尔西被认为是进步教育价值观的主要支持者。