VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe's MDC Disengages from Ministries,

By Scott Bobb
Harare
16 October 2009
 
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai during a press conference in Harare, 16 Oct 2009
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says his Movement for Democratic Change is disengaging from the ZANU-PF party led by President Robert Mugabe but is not officially withdrawing from the power-sharing government. The move follows the indictment¹ and re-arrest on terrorism charges of the MDC's Deputy Agriculture Minister-designate Roy Bennett.

Confrontations² within Zimbabwe's fragile power-sharing government deepened Friday as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai announced his party would boycott³ the executive branch whose ministries⁴ it shares with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

"It is our right to disengage from a dishonest and unreliable partner," said Morgan Tsvangirai. "In this regard, whilst being in government we shall forthwith disengage from ZANU-PF, in particular from cabinet and Council of Ministers until such time as confidence and respect are restored in this relationship."

But he underscored that the MDC was not leaving the unity⁵ government and would continue its activities in parliament where it holds a slim majority.

Mr. Tsvangirai said the detention⁶ of senior MDC member Roy Bennett, who now has been released on bail⁷, had made it evident that ZANU-PF regards the MDC as a junior and un-serious partner. He said the boycott would continue until all outstanding issues between the two sides had been resolved.

Bennett, a white commercial farmer who was displaced in a controversial land reform program seven years ago, was named Deputy-Minister of Agriculture in the unity government.

But Mr. Mugabe had refused to swear in Bennett because of the outstanding charges against him.

He had been released on bail after serving one month in jail on those charges, which included illegally harboring weapons in order to overthrow⁸ the Mugabe government.

Bennett denies all of the charges which the MDC says were trumped⁹ up.

Mr. Tsvangirai also complained that ZANU-PF is delaying full implementation¹¹ of the one year-old power sharing agreement that followed controversial and violent national elections last year.

The unity government that emerged as part of the accord has reduced politically related violence in Zimbabwe and stabilized¹² the economy.

But critics say progress has been delayed by in-fighting and a new constitution that is to lead to fresh elections appears far away.

Mr. Tsvangirai called on ZANU-PF to fully¹³ implement¹⁰ the power sharing agreement.

"It is a constitutional crisis which should be resolved if ZANU-PF and its leadership know that there is a price to pay for procrastination," said Tsvangirai.

He said if the crisis escalated¹⁴ further the only solution would be to hold new elections to be conducted by the African Union and Southern African Development Community under the supervision¹⁵ of the United Nations.

1 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

2 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

7 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

8 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

9 trumped   

v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去分词 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• That woman trumped up various baseless charges against him. 那个女人捏造种种毫无根据的罪名指控他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several of his colleagues trumped up a complaint to get him removed from the job. 他的几位同事诬告他，使他丟掉了工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

11 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

12 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

15 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。