VOA常速英语2019--美国国际开发署促进青年民主建设（在线收听）

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the barrier that divided democratic Western Europe from the Communist East. Speaking in Berlin, Germany, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green urged young democracy activists to remember that the victory of democracy was not easy nor was it inevitable. It required struggle and courage.

本月是柏林墙倒塌30周年，柏林墙是把民主的西欧和共产主义的东欧分隔开来的屏障。美国国际开发署署长格林在德国柏林发表讲话，他敦促年轻的民主活动人士记住，民主的胜利是不容易的，也不是注定的。成功需要奋斗和勇气。

In the late 1990s, the prospects for democracy in Slovakia were dim, to say the least, said Administrator Green. But young activists made the difference:

“Then Prime Minister Me?iar was engaged in a campaign to shut down (non-governmental organizations), crush the political opposition, physically abuse journalists, tie the country closer to Russia, and to divert state resources to his friends and family. . . .And yet in 1998. . .a grass roots coalition of opposition parties and NGOs powered by young people. . .they unleashed a wave of popular support that carried that coalition to power and put the country back on the path towards democracy and reform and Western integration.”

格林署长表示，上世纪90年代末，斯洛伐克的民主前景至少可以说是暗淡的。但是，年轻的激进分子做出了改变:“时任首相Me?iar参与关闭(非政府组织)活动，镇压政治反对派，虐待记者，让国家和俄罗斯走得更近，国家资源转移给朋友和家人·然而在1998年…一个由年轻人支持的反对党和非政府组织的草根联盟…他们发动了一波民众支持的浪潮，将联合政府推上了权力的宝座，使该国重新走上了通往民主、改革和西方一体化的道路。”

But democratic reform movements don’t belong solely to the people of Europe, stressed Administrator Green. The desire for liberty and democracy is universal as demonstrated by the people of The Gambia. In 2016, under the leadership of Isatou Touray, who is now Gambia's Vice President, the nation rose up against the brutal dictatorship Yahya Jammeh. Dr. Touray helped build a grassroots network across her country calling for liberty and democracy. Jammeh made it clear he would not tolerate dissent, especially not from a woman. Her leadership carried the opposition to victory. When Jammeh refused to step down, Dr. Touray spoke up publicly and demanded that the people's will be respected, which ultimately it was.

但是，格林行政长官强调，民主改革运动并不仅仅属于欧洲人民。正如冈比亚人民所表明的那样，对自由和民主的渴望是普遍的。2016年，在现任冈比亚副总统伊萨图·图雷的领导下，这个国家奋起反抗残暴的独裁统治者叶海亚·贾梅。贾梅明确表示，他不会容忍异议，尤其是来自女性的异议。她领导反对派取得了胜利。当贾梅拒绝下台时，图雷博士公开发言，要求人民的意愿得到尊重，而这最终得到了尊重。

The struggle for democracy will never be easy, but it is worth the price. As American President Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

争取民主的斗争永远不容易，但值得付出代价。正如美国总统泰迪·罗斯福曾经说过的那样:“毫无疑问，生活所能提供的最好的奖赏就是为值得做的事情而努力工作的机会。”