VOA标准英语2011--Oman Prepares to Vote Amid Uncertain Tim

Oman Prepares to Vote Amid Uncertain Times

Oman is preparing to hold its first general election since pro-reform demonstrations¹ spread throughout the country earlier this year. The vote follows a pledge by the government to meet most demands set by protesters-a move that has generally pacified² public displays of dissent³. However, some Omanis say the slow pace of change could prompt further unrest.
Over 1,000 candidates will be vying⁴ for 84 seats on Oman’s Shura Council when polls open on October 15.
The body is part of the larger Council of Oman, which also includes the appointed State Council and has traditionally met at the request of Sultan Qaboos bin⁵ Said to discuss topics of his choice.
Responding to the widespread protests in the country, Sultan Qaboos, in March, granted “legislative⁶ and regulatory powers” to the Council of Oman. It is still unclear exactly what the powers permit.
Nevertheless, many Omanis see the move as a step forward. There are over 130,000 more registered voters for this year’s election than there were in the last poll in 2007.
Badr al-Qasimi, who is running for a seat in the capital Muscat, says there is also a noticeable increase in the number of candidates this year.
"A lot of things have been changed [for the] better," he said. "Last time, I didn’t nominate myself due to my belief that the council was not to our expectations. Now, the council is to our expectations.
In addition to announcing legislative reform, Sultan Qaboos also pledged to create 50,000 new government jobs, allocated⁷ more funds for the unemployed⁸ and reshuffled his cabinet.
Omanis first took to the streets in January to demand more jobs, higher salaries, greater democracy and an end to government corruption⁹. Some claim a number of ministers continue to embezzle¹⁰ state funds while others in the country are unable to pay for food or receive a proper education.
A Muscat resident who wished to be identified only as Ismail says the reforms announced by Sultan Qaboos are not sufficient to tackle the nation’s most pressing problems.
“Those are not the things that we went to the street and we protested for. We want to have full freedom, to have a full elected parliament,” said Ismail.
Oman’s season of unrest was most pronounced in the northern industrial town of Sohar, where clashes between demonstrators and security forces left two people dead.
Other substantial rallies were held in Muscat, Sur and Salalah.
A number of participants say they were arbitrarily arrested following the demonstrations. Some claim they were tortured in prison. Authorities deny the accusations¹¹.
Oman’s unrest has been unique in that, so far, protesters have not been calling for the ouster of the monarchy¹². In fact, they have emphasized their loyalty¹³ to Sultan Qaboos. But Sultan al-Sa’adi, who was jailed after taking part in the Sohar demonstrations, says that sentiment could change.
“If the situation continues like this, nobody can say that regime change here in Oman in not going to be announced by some of the people. We don’t want that. We still have trust in this regime, but that regime has to open his mind, has to open his hand. He has to listen to people,” said Sultan.
Ismail from Muscat believes it is only a matter of time before Omani citizens return to the streets to demand greater reform. “People, they’ve lost hope in this government and they’re just waiting for one flame and then everything will burn, will explode again,” he said.
Oman has historically been one of the most peaceful nations in the Middle East.
Most analysts¹⁴ like Gala Riani from London-based IHS Global Insight say the recent tensions in the sultanate should not be overlooked by the international community-not least because of the county’s strategic location. Oman is neighbors with Iran, has a boarder with Yemen and lies on the Straight of Hormuz-the strategic waterway through which all of oil shipped from the Persian Gulf¹⁵ must pass.
“If there were more instability in Oman, it would have regional implications and it’s certainly not a situation that anyone should be complacent¹⁶ about,” he said.
Sultan Qaboos established the Shura Council in 1991 in a bid to modernize¹⁷ Oman’s government.
Successful candidates are elected to four-year terms and are permitted to run for re-election. No foreign observers have been invited to monitor this year’s poll.

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 pacified   

使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平

参考例句：

• The baby could not be pacified. 怎么也止不住婴儿的哭声。
• She shrieked again, refusing to be pacified. 她又尖叫了，无法使她平静下来。

3 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

4 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

5 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

6 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

7 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

8 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

9 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。

10 embezzle   

vt.贪污，盗用；挪用(公款；公物等)

参考例句：

• I suppose they embezzle a lot.我想他们贪污了不少。
• The cashier embezzled $50,000 from the bank and ran away.银行的出纳盗用了五万美元，并且逃跑了。

11 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

12 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

13 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

14 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。

15 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

16 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

17 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。