2006年VOA标准英语-Zimbabwe's Opposition Needs to Speak to Af

By Peta Thornycroft
Harare
01 March 2006

Arthur Mutambare, a newly-elected leader of one of Zimbabwe's opposition¹ parties, says he has an obligation to return home to help deliver people from what he says is the dictatorship of the ruling ZANU PF.

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Arthur Mutambara speaks after been elected President of Movement For Democratic Change's Pro² Senate Faction³ in Bulawayo, February 25, 2006
  

Arthur Mutambare, who lead the first ever pro-democracy student protests against the present government 16 years ago, says the main opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change, has an image problem. He was elected as president of one of the factions⁴ of the MDC, which split in October last year.

He says the party needs a makeover. He said Africa's perception, rightly or wrongly, was that the MDC was too close to western governments, such as the United States and Britain.

"The MDC had a problem of image, a branding problem. They failed to effectively de-link themselves from interests or perceptions of imperialism⁵. If you are perceived as a puppet, those perceptions become a reality. You have to actively⁶ disengage yourself from those that give you that terrible image," he said.

Arthur Mutambare does not dwell on what divides the MDC, and says he hopes that leader of the other faction, Morgan Tsvangirai, and all democrats⁷ who want to end ZANU PF rule, will join him in the struggle to bring democracy to Zimbabwe.

ZANU PF began seizing white-owned commercial land after white farmers began to openly support and help finance the MDC when it was formed in 2000. Mutambara says Africa also became confused about the MDC's close association with white farmers.

"Land secondly⁸, The MDC, was not able to articulate a revolutionary land program," he said. "They gave the impression that the major driver of their policy was white farmer interest. Rightly or wrongly the impression was out there that these people were pursuing and pushing an agenda on land for white farmers. It was their job to clarify and make sure that thier position was unequivocal taht their desire was to have a land revolution meant for all Zimbabweans, white and black."

The MDC at first gave the impression that the major driver of their policy were white farmers. Rightly or wrongly the MDC was seen seen pursuing and pushing an agenda on land for white farmers instead of a desire to have a land revolution meant for all Zimbabweans, white and black.

He said he decided⁹ to return home and become involved in opposition politics for several reasons, among them, to be able to make a difference, which he could not do from South Africa where he was living.

"It is my civic¹⁰ duty and obligation to participate in the process of creating solutions for my own country...so I am jumping from the pan into the fire, to participate in the liberation of Zimbabwe from the hegemony of Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF. We are here to fight and defeat Mugabe, and fight the regime, which brought misery¹¹ and suffering, and defeat them and form the next government, that's my agenda, pure and simple," said Mutambara.

Mutambara won a scholarship to do his doctorate¹² in electrical engineering at Britain's Oxford¹³ University after he left the University of Zimbabwe and he then worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA before returning to Africa to work in Johannesburg, South Africa. There he headed up a business and scientific institute until he was invited to make himself available for election to one faction of the MDC. Now he says he is returning home to Zimbabwe.

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 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

3 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

4 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

5 imperialism   

n.帝国主义，帝国主义政策

参考例句：

• They held the imperialism in contempt.他们鄙视帝国主义。
• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。

6 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

11 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

12 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

13 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。