VOA标准英语2008年-New Kenyan Administration Facing Political, Eco

By William Eagle
Washington
01 January 2008

Corruption² was a hot issue in Kenya's election last week, and analysts⁴ say it will continue to be during the next several years.  Many of the ruling party's best known legislators and Cabinet members were defeated in the polls, and President Mwai Kibaki declared victory after a slim and contested margin⁵.  William Eagle reports from Washington.

Analysts say corruption in Kenya was one of a number of economic and political issues that made for a very tight national election.  They say the new administration will have to tackle those same issues during the next five years.

CEO Mwalimu Mati of The Mars Group, an anti-corruption and good governance organization in Nairobi, says the country is affected⁶ by corruption, both large and small.

Mati says Transparency International describes the situation in a recent report.  It said from a business point of view, potential investors⁷ perceived Kenya as among the 10 most corrupt¹ countries in the world.

"Corruption is endemic," Mati said. "There is the petty bribery⁸ of the average man encountering police or clerks of the state bureaucracy in public institutions ...   So in Kenya, the very poor are paying several bribes⁹ per month, which they can ill afford."

He says things are not much better at the national level, where he says only 10 percent of the population controls most of the country and enjoys most of the benefits of its robust¹⁰ economy.

"So, we have petty and grand corruption at levels no growing economy can sustain, because all this money gets funneled¹¹ out as it comes in," Mati said. "If we lose 20 percent of the government procurement¹² budget each year, then there is not much hope for much real sustainable and equitable¹³ growth."

Analyst³ Mwalimu Mati says corruption also hinders democracy.  He says a recent U.N. survey found that more than half of the money financing political parties could not be verified as legal.  He says some people fear the money could come from the illicit¹⁴ trade in arms.  

He calls large-scale corruption and the money it generates a war chest for generating political power.

Mati said in mature democracies political parties are based on ideas and ideology¹⁵, but in Kenya they are created to serve the interest of monied elites¹⁶, not the average citizen.  In Kenya, he says alternatives to the ruling KANU party are short-lived and are led by aging leaders.

"Nobody in Kenya is a card-carrying member of any party for any serious length of time.  No one learns about the constitution of a party or its policies," Mati said. "People join a party because at the helm is someone from their tribe.  So it s always a tribal¹⁷ contest and that is not good for nation building.  Where races are tight and tempers are high, people start to see other Kenyans as enemies and not as political opponents."

Mati says one solution to the problem is to give more power to the regions in a new constitution.

Voters rejected constitutional reform in a referendum two years ago, but Mati and many others say the government-backed final draft of the rejected constitution did not go far enough to decentralize the country in order to reduce what critics say are almost autocratic powers invested in the head of state. 

John Otieno is on the board of the Kenya Union of Journalists.  He says Kenya's Muslims are in favor of greater autonomy.

Otieno says Muslims form a powerful voting block in Mombasa and other areas of Coast Province, as well as North Eastern Province along the border with Somalia.  Otieno says these are areas rich in diamonds and other minerals, and many international companies have expressed interest in investing there.

"The northern communities believe they would do better with a devolved system of power, where they could control resources," Otieno said. "Opinion polls confirm that federalism is popular among [up to 60 percent of] the people of Kenya [including Muslims]."

Nairobi-based analyst Ojwang Agina says a new administration should consider eliminating the creation of small districts, often based along tribal or other demographic lines.  After coming to power in 2002, President Kibaki increased the number of districts from 60 to about 140.  The government says they are needed to improve local development.

Agina disagrees.

"He has created districts in parts of Rift¹⁸ Valley, parts of Western Province and parts of the Coast [Province]," Agina said. "The areas where he created them  are not planned in advance for government policy, but as campaign tools."

Analyst Mwalimu Mati and other pro-democracy activists¹⁹ say they favor the creation of a justice and truth commission to look into allegations of past economic and political crimes.  They say the process should include restitution²⁰ for those whose human rights have been violated.  Muti says NGOs are determined²¹ to work with whoever is elected to create bodies that will monitor economic crimes and help curb²² them.

President Kibaki has said that in a second term he would support a new constitution, and he favors a more limited form of political devolution than those suggested by his opponents, which he says could exacerbate²³ ethnic²⁴ tensions. 

According to The Nation newspaper in Nairobi, President Kibaki told voters that if he won, he would continue to crack down on corruption.  He said any cabinet minister suspected of corruption would have to resign immediately.  In his first term, some government officials resigned after being linked to financial wrongdoing, but were reinstated after investigations²⁵ cleared them. 

1 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

2 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。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

9 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

10 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

11 funneled   

漏斗状的

参考例句：

• The crowd funneled through the hall. 群众从走廊中鱼贯而过。
• The large crowd funneled out of the gates after the football match. 足球赛后大群人从各个门中涌出。

12 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

13 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

14 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

15 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

16 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

17 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。

18 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

19 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 restitution   

n.赔偿；恢复原状

参考例句：

• It's only fair that those who do the damage should make restitution.损坏东西的人应负责赔偿，这是再公平不过的了。
• The victims are demanding full restitution.受害人要求全额赔偿。

21 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

22 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

23 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

24 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

25 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。