VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-05-21 Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif Faces Major Tests as Prime Minister

 

AS IT IS 2013-05-21 Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif Faces Major Tests as Prime Minister

From VOA Learning English, welcome to As It Is.

Hello, I’m Steve Ember.

Today we go to Pakistan, where Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faces major tests as he takes command of a new government…and then to Libya, where the national legislature has decided² to remove officials who worked in the government of former leader Moammar Gadhafi.

We begin in Pakistan, where the Pakistan Muslim League recently won the largest number of seats in Pakistan’s National Assembly elections. The head of the party, Nawaz Sharif, has already served two times as prime minister. He now faces major tests as he takes command of the new government.

Some political observers say the new government will have to deal with serious financial problems. Waseem Sajjad is a former chairman of the Pakistani Senate. He says a deepening energy crisis will be a major worry for the government when temperatures start to rise. Extreme heat is predicted in the coming weeks.

“And the people would expect the government to deliver. They will give them some time. But I don’t think the people will give too much time to the new government to resolve this issue.”

Nawaz Sharif comes from a business family. The business community praised policies that he proposed during his earlier terms to help the nation’s economy. His party officials say they want to take control quickly so that they can work hard on the economy. 

Militant³ attacks have killed thousands of Pakistanis in recent years. The Pakistan Muslim League has supported calls for talks with the Pakistani Taliban as a way to end the problem of militancy⁴.

Some people hope the policies of Nawaz Sharif will bring peace. But others worry about a possible rise in Islamic extremism.

Human rights activist⁵ Tahira Abdullah remembers Mr. Sharif’s efforts to amend⁶ the constitution just before the military ousted⁷ him as prime minister in 1999. He supported an amendment⁸ to establish Sharia or Islamic law. Ms. Abdullah says the measure would have moved the country further toward an Islamist constitution and an Islamist government.

Mushahid Hussain is chairman of Pakistan’s Senate Committee on Defense⁹. Mr. Hussain notes that a large number of people voted in the May eleventh election. He says this shows critics in Pakistan and overseas that Pakistanis oppose religious extremism. He also praised Pakistanis’ sense of democracy. 

“I think the biggest message is: no to terrorism, no to militancy, no to extremism and a resounding¹⁰ yes to the power of the ballot¹¹ over the bullet.  And I think it shows that the Pakistani society at its core has a deeply democratic ethos.”

Other observers say Pakistani relations with India are likely to improve under Nawaz Sharif. The two nations have fought three wars -- and almost fought a fourth war earlier this year. The issue was clashes between their militaries along the disputed border in Kashmir. But the dispute became a war of words instead of bullets.

Mr. Sharif has attempted in the past to improve his nation’s ties with India. And recently, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited him to India. Mr. Singh says he hopes to make way for a better atmosphere between the two nations.

Nawaz Sharif began a peace process with India in 1999. But the suspicious relations between the countries intensified¹² again. Now the Pakistani leader says that he wants to return to the remains¹³ of that peace process.

Lalit Mansingh is a former Indian foreign secretary. He praises Nawaz Sharif as, in his words, “the best bet for India.”

“He is somebody with whom we have a certain degree of comfort because India has dealt with him, has had good results with negotiations¹⁴ when he was in power. And therefore it is better to deal with him than deal with somebody new and inexperienced.”  

Indian officials hope for good signs from Pakistan in the coming months. For a start, the Indian government wants Pakistan to increase economic ties. India also wants a more liberal trading policy.

Pakistan has not yet acted on a promise to give India Most Favored Nation trading status. Many people now hope that will happen with Nawaz Sharif returning as prime minister. 

Mr. Sharif has described his nation’s relations with the United States as good. But America’s use of drones to attack suspected militants¹⁵ angers many Pakistanis.

Nawaz Sharif promised his supporters during the election campaign that he will seek an immediate¹⁶ end to the American program. 

You are listening to As It Is from VOA Learning English.  I’m Steve Ember.

Libya's Legislature Removes Gadhafi-Era Officials

Libya’s national legislature recently decided to remove officials who worked in the government of former leader Moammar Gadhafi. A noted¹⁷ Islamist politician says ousting¹⁸ them from office will help rebuild the country. But as we hear from Kelly Jean Kelly, some Libyans are not so sure.

Reaction is growing after the General National Congress approved a law dismissing officials who worked for the Gadhafi government. The measure is known as the political isolation¹⁹ law. Some Libyans worry that it will add to loss of skills in government and harm the country’s progress. There is also concern that the congress surrendered to the wishes of militiamen, who demanded passage of the law.

The militiamen have been blocking ministry²¹ offices and demanding the ouster of Libya’s Prime Minister, Ali Zeidan. 

Rim¹ Jabril, an artist, has been joining small anti-militia²⁰ protests. She says Libya will not have enough people with experience to govern the country.

“I am with the political isolation in principle but I am against the method they are going with, because the way they are going with it, I think it will isolate²² more people than we can afford.”

Nizar Kawan is a Congress member from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party. He says the isolation law is a way to clean up the government.  He notes that other countries have followed similar courses after oppression or conflict.

It is not clear how the political isolation law will be enforced. A committee is expected to oversee²³ its enactment²⁴. And it is hard to know how many people will be banned from public office or government employment for the next 10 years. 

Politician Mahmoud Jibril was a planning minister in the Gadhafi government. He now leads a moderate political coalition²⁵. He predicts that 500,000 Libyans could lose their positions under the law. He says it is unfair because he and others who had worked for Moammar Gadhafi were also important in plotting to end his rule.

But businessman and militia supporter Farag Alhamadi says there are many people ready to take the place of those who are dismissed. He says Libya is a young nation, and he suggests using young people to fill government jobs.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly. 

1 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

7 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

8 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

11 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

12 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

15 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

16 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

17 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。

18 ousting   

驱逐( oust的现在分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• The resulting financial chaos led to the ousting of Bristol-Myers' s boss. 随后引发的财政混乱导致了百时美施贵宝的总裁下台。
• The ousting of the president has drawn widespread criticism across Latin America and the wider world. 洪都拉斯总统被驱逐时间引起拉丁美洲甚至全世界的广泛批评。

19 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

20 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

21 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

22 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

23 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

24 enactment   

n.演出，担任…角色；制订，通过

参考例句：

• Enactment refers to action.演出指行为的表演。
• We support the call for the enactment of a Bill of Rights.我们支持要求通过《权利法案》的呼声。

25 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。