VOA慢速英语2021--索马里年轻女议员反腐

Amina Mohamed Abdi was just 24 years old when she was first elected to Somalia's parliament in 2012. She defeated two other candidates to win a seat saved specifically for women.

But to reach her political goal, Abdi had to go against the wishes of leaders in her Hawiye clan¹. Some had urged her not to run for office.

"I was asked ‘you want to be a prostitute? How can a woman represent a clan?'" she told Reuters. Abdi dismissed the comments and kept her plans. She says she thought it was important to run because a clan is not only made up of men.

Four years later, she won an open seat in Hiran, an area north of the capital Mogadishu.

Abdi is now 32 years old and is an active critic of her government. She will seek a third term in an upcoming election. She is the only woman among six politicians competing for the same seat. Abdi is a member of the opposition²'s Union and Peace for Development party. She is one of 81 women lawmakers in the 275-seat legislature.

Somalia is a country with a long history of war and fighting. Abdi grew up during a violent civil war that started in the early 1990s. It is estimated that around 300,000 people died of hunger and disease as a result of the fighting.

Growing up in this environment made Abdi want to enter politics to help rebuild her country. As an eight-year-old, she remembers returning from school in Mogadishu to find her house empty and her family gone after fighting broke out. "Everywhere there were gunshots and mortar³ shells were landing," she said.

Abdi later lived with her uncle, who is also in parliament, and he inspired her further to work toward her goal.

"I was ... brought up ... in a country when there was no government," she said. "It is necessary for our children to have a government in order to get the basic rights: security, clean water, and quality education."

Abdi has expressed those wishes during emotional speeches to parliament that have spread throughout the country. She often accuses the government of corruption⁴ and says this makes it unable to protect the country's 15 million people. The government denies the accusations⁵.

Canab Hussein is a Mogadishu store owner and mother of six. She told Reuters, "Lawmaker Amina is not from my state but I love her."

"I learnt (about her) over the radio and on Facebook and YouTube. She is a role model, a smart female politician. She bravely speaks the truth," Hussein said.

The parliamentary elections were set to take place in December but have repeatedly been delayed. The opposition has accused President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of cheating by putting his allies on an electoral board.

The election delay led to protests in Mogadishu and the opposition has threatened to boycott⁶ the upcoming voting.

Winners of the legislative⁷ elections will choose Somalia's next president. President Mohamed is seeking a second term. That vote is planned for February 8, but it is almost sure to be delayed.

Words in This Story

clan– n. a large group of people who are related

prostitute – n. a person who has sex with someone in exchange for money

mortar shells – n. a weapon that shoots explosive bombs far away

inspired – v. having a particular cause or influence

1 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

2 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。

3 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

4 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。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

7 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。