VOA标准英语2009年-Kenyans Furious Over Re-Appointment of Ant

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki re-appointed the controversial head of the country's anti-corruption¹ commission on Monday, bypassing both an advisory² board and Parliament in a move critics are calling illegal. The anti-corruption czar has been heavily criticized for failing to tackle any serious corruption case during his tenure³.

The director of Kenya's anti-corruption commission is the government's highest paid civil servant, earning $35,000 more per year than the nation's president.
　
Kenyan opposition⁴ supporters rally in Nairobi to demand tribunal to investigate conduct of Anti-Corruption Commission boss Aaron Ringera (Sep 2006 file photo)

The move to re-appoint Aaron Ringera as anti-corruption head is coming under fire, not just because he is considered by critics as largely ineffective, but also because the president's action bypassed the set legal avenue for filling the position.

According to the anti-corruption bill passed in 2003, the nomination⁵ for the position must come from an independent advisory board institutionally separated from the executive. The nominee⁶ is then to pass into the hands of Parliament, which has the power to approve or reject the appointment.

But members of the anti-corruption commission's advisory board say they were not consulted in the re-appointment, and the president's action late Monday similarly sidestepped Parliament.

Kenyan lawyer and former member of parliament Paul Muite says the president overstepped his legal bounds.

"The president clearly does not have the powers to do this re-appointing," he noted⁷. "I personally participated in the drafting of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act. The president's action is simply inviting⁸ a showdown between the advisory board and Parliament on the one hand, and the president on the other."

The advisory board has already announced that it will continue with its recruitment and interview process for the director of the commission. It plans on submitting its recommendations to Parliament for approval, as the law dictates⁹.

The chairman of the Law Society of Kenya, Okong'o Omogeni, who also sits on the anti-corruption commission's advisory board, said any new director recommended by the board will have to agree to a significant pay cut.

"The terms and conditions of the service of the director and assistant directors should be determined¹⁰ by the advisory board," Omogeni said. "As a board we have already met and agreed anybody who is coming on board to those positions, whether the current director or any other director, will take a pay cut of 35 percent. And that will remain the position of the board."

Ringera has defended his job as anti-corruption czar by claiming he has not been given sufficient powers to fully¹¹ prosecute¹² high level officials.

Muite says the anti-corruption head should not be given more prosecutorial¹³ powers, but less. He says the current system practically ensures no senior government official will ever face justice for stealing state funds.

"Actually in a functioning democracy the investigator¹⁴ should not be the one to also prosecute. The investigator should take the report to an independent person to evaluate and say whether objectively somebody should be prosecuted¹⁵," he said.

Ringera was one of four senior Kenyan officials who is reported to have been criticized for obstructing¹⁶ the implementation¹⁷ of key reforms. No senior Kenyan official has been prosecuted by the anti-corruption body under Ringera's leadership.

1 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。

2 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

3 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

4 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。

5 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

9 dictates   

n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• Convention dictates that a minister should resign in such a situation. 依照常规部长在这种情况下应该辞职。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He always follows the dictates of common sense. 他总是按常识行事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 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。

12 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

13 prosecutorial   

公诉人的，原告的； 起诉的

参考例句：

• If prosecutorial misconduct results in a mistrial, a later prosecution may be barred. 如果检察官的不轨行为导致审判无效，再行起诉可能会被除数禁止。 来自口语例句
• Prosecutorial supervision is required according to public power attribution of civil litigation. 民事诉讼的个性和检察监督是对立统一的关系，并不排斥检察监督。

14 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

15 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

16 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

17 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。