VOA标准英语2012--South Sudan President Plans to Shrink Government

 

South Sudan President Plans to Shrink Government

There is growing support for President Salva Kiir’s plan to downsize his government. Mr. Kiir said earlier this month that due to the current austerity measures, he needs to eliminate positions that will save money and provide more social services.

The President acknowledged in his one year anniversary speech on July 9th that his government is larger than that of many other governments in the region. After the shutdown in oil production in January, which accounted for 98 percent of South Sudan’s revenue, Kirr said the government had to make dramatic cuts.

South Sudan has 59 ministers and deputy ministers at the national level alone. And there are 21 commissions whose chairpersons have similar entitlements.

Civil society activists¹ and opposition² politicians are urging President Kiir to move quickly on implementing³ the cuts. Jimmy Wongo, a senior member of the opposition United Sudanese African Party, says the move is long overdue⁴.

“Not only should the president cut down the number of ministries⁵ but even consider [downsizing] his big parliament, which has 332 members. This is too big for a new country like ours.”

Wongo says people should be hired on the basis of their competence⁶ and merit.

“There are people in civil service today holding the [upper] echelons⁷ of the administration in South Sudan that do not deserve to be there. But perhaps because of their role during the war they found themselves sitting there.”

Edmond Yakani, a program coordinator⁸ for the local NGO, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, says it is not just administration jobs that must be slashed⁹. He says the number of “constitutional post-holders” should be cut in half.

“If we can lose at least over 50% of the current constitutional post-holders as a principle of downsizing I would say congratulations to the president.”

Lorna Merekaje of the South Sudan Democratic Elections and Monitoring Program says she’ll believe it when she sees it.

“Is it going to happen, and when? I believe if it takes place as soon as this month then we will all believe that we have government that is working.”

Yakani says some communities will perceive the removal of their members from government positions as a deliberate attempt to marginalize them.

“I think a public office is not for a tribe, a public service is not for a community, a public office is for qualified¹⁰ citizens. So regardless of where we come from, as long as we are qualified, we can deliver services to the people.”

The Sudan Tribune website reports a top government minister was authorized¹¹ to overhaul¹² the government structure and provide recommendations to the president last month.

President Kiir is to discuss those recommendations with his cabinet before presenting them to parliament. It’s unclear when that will happen.

1 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》

2 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。

3 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

4 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

5 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。

6 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

7 echelons   

n.（机构中的）等级，阶层( echelon的名词复数 )；（军舰、士兵、飞机等的）梯形编队

参考例句：

• Officers were drawn largely from the top echelons of society. 这些官员大都来自社会上层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Except in the higher echelons, extensive classification has no place in the classification of vegetation. 除高阶类级之外，外延分类在植物分类中还是没有地位的。 来自辞典例句

8 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

9 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

11 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

12 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。