VOA常速英语2007年-Church Plays Key Role Before Kenyan Elections

By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi
26 December 2007

Kenya's religious leaders played an important role before this week's national elections, urging followers¹ to vote and refrain from violence. As Nick Wadhams reports from Nairobi, pastors³ and priests have also been influential⁴ in other ways by subtly advocating their candidates of choice, but never coming out with straightforward⁵ endorsements⁶.

At a Christmas Day church service, pastor² Justus Mutuku sings with his congregants after an hour-long sermon reminding people to be good Christians⁸ during the holiday season. One way they can do that, he says, is to vote for the candidate best prepared to bring new prosperity to Kenya.

Mutuku never tells his flock who that might be. But this is the Africa Inland Church, whose home base is in an area populated by a tribe called Kamba, who support Kalonzo Musyoka, a Kamba like them. After the sermon, Mutuku explains his outlook.

"We do not take that as our responsibility to tell people who to vote for, but to present to them the qualities and the requirements of a good leader," said Mutuku. "I believe from hearing such qualities people will be able to know obviously so and so then does not qualify for that matter."

"So I think it is our obligation to let people know what kind of people they should vote, why they should vote or such, but not to make accurate decisions for them," he added.

Strategies like Mukutu's were common in the thousands of churches across Kenya before the December 27 vote.

Their preferences reflect a historical fact: when missionaries⁹ became most active in Kenya in the early 20th century, the various churches agreed to split the country and work in separate areas. As a result, various Christian⁷ churches have come to be associated with different tribes.

Because Kenyan politics is partly influenced along tribal¹⁰ lines, it is often not too hard to figure out which candidate each pastor supports, even if they are reluctant to say so.

Down the street, in central Nairobi, sits a Catholic church, where the message is more ambiguous. There, worshipers appeared divided between President Mwai Kibaki and his chief rival, Raila Odinga. At this church, different worshipers got the different message they wanted.

Joe Wanjohi, a retired¹¹ journalist, says he will vote for President Kibaki to win a second five-year term.

"They have been telling us once we are through with the merrymaking for Christmas we should be ready to vote and vote wisely, and they continue to remind us that even after the elections we will still be Kenyans," said Wanjohi.

"They are not quite indicating who is who, what they are saying is look at somebody's past performance, vote for the person you think is best, has a cleaner record and one who can guide this country to greater heights," he continued.

Wanjohi's wife Anne is also a Kibaki supporter, but says she is prepared to accept whoever wins.

"If it is Kibaki, if it is Raila, OK, Kalonzo, for now we are Kenyans, we accept whoever goes through," she said. "But we put our checks and balances to make sure our country does not go back to the dogs the way it was in the past. It was really going down, our country was finished. Kibaki has brought us where we are now and we are ready. Whoever takes over the government we will not allow that person to take us back."

Religious groups' involvement in Kenyan politics dates back many years.

In the 1980s, the National Council of Churches of Kenya became an outspoken¹² opponent of President Daniel arap Moi, who drew support from another group, the Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya.

In 2002 elections won by Mr. Kibaki, church groups deployed¹³ hundreds of voting monitors, as they had done in 1997.

Catholic Archbishop John Njenga also served as a voice of moral conscience, demanding that Kibaki fulfill¹⁴ his promises to stamp out corruption¹⁵ once he was elected.

This year, the National Council of Churches has urged Mr. Kibaki and his rivals, Raila Odinga and Mr. Musyoka, to respect the results of the balloting¹⁶.

The candidates in this overwhelmingly Christian nation have also courted Muslims, who make up about 10 percent of the population and are believed to favor Odinga.

The church's influential role has also meant that politicians have looked to it to score political points in this election year.

Reverend Mattews Mwalwa leads a church just down the street from President Kibaki's home, known as State House. He recalls the time in September when Mr. Kibaki's staff called to ask him whether the president could speak before his congregation.

"Unfortunately, this year we have seen the same government going to churches like they have never been before," said Mwalwa. "It made it so obvious, like, we need your votes. We live next to State House and it was his first time for the last five years to come and worship here, and when he stood up to speak - I am asking you to vote me back - it becomes very obvious."

Mwalwa says for the past year he has been setting aside sermons to teach about the principles of good governance, in the hope of preparing his congregants for the vote. He says now, heading into the polls, Kenyan voters are more politically savvy¹⁷ than ever.

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

6 endorsements   

n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 )；（驾驶执照上的）违章记录；（公开的）赞同；（通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的）宣传

参考例句：

• He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告，就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
• But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此，邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

9 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

14 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

15 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。

16 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

17 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？