2006年VOA标准英语-Bolivia's New President Inspires Region's

By Michael Bowman
Washington
26 January 2006

For the first time, Bolivia has an indigenous¹ president.  Native American leaders throughout Latin America say Sunday's inauguration² of Evo Morales was a source of pride and joy.  Indigenous political participation³ has grown markedly in several Latin American nations in recent years, a trend that analysts⁴ say will likely continue.

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Evo Morales reviews Presidential Colorados Honor Guard  
  

In his inaugural⁵ address, President Morales made a point to thank the non-indigenous Bolivians who had supported his bid for office.  He said he felt proud of the city-dwellers, businessmen, intellectuals and others who had voted for him, and expressed hope that the feeling of pride was mutual⁶.

"I invite you all to feel proud of the indigenous people, who are the moral reserve of humanity," he said.

The inaugural festivities drew indigenous leaders from throughout the hemisphere, including Luis Macas, president of Ecuador's Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE).  Macas says the day was historic and the experience unforgettable.

 
Luis Macas
  
"It was very, very exciting," he said.  "I felt uncontainable emotion to see a brother of ours elevated to this position of such great responsibility.  For us it is a matter of pride, but we also see a challenge, a responsibility."

Macas is no stranger to politics.  CONAIE has taken part in some of Ecuador's most turbulent protests that prompted the ouster of three presidents over the last nine years.

"The indigenous movement has been questioning the situation facing our countries with regard to poverty, discrimination, and exclusion," he added.  "More and more, indigenous people are coming to the conclusion that we must participate more fully⁷, and that with this participation it is possible to change some of the structures of the political system."

But analysts note that it is only in recent years that Native American groups have entered the political fray⁸ as such.  The director of Princeton University's Latin American studies program, Deborah Yashar, recently addressed an academic conference on Bolivia in Washington.

"In the 20th century, national indigenous movements were, in fact, rare," she said.  "It is not that real organizing did not occur among indigenous people, but people used to note that it did not occur along ethnic⁹ lines.  Prior rural movements mobilized Indians to forge class, partisan¹⁰, religious, and sometimes even revolutionary identities over and against indigenous ones."

Despite making near-constant references to his indigenous heritage during the campaign, President Morales has sworn to represent all Bolivians regardless of background. As leader of South America's poorest nation, he has pledged to tackle poverty, fight corruption¹¹, exert greater state control over natural resources, and decriminalize the small-scale growing of coca, the raw material used to produce cocaine¹².

Kevin Healy, who specializes on Native American affairs at George Washington University, says indigenous organizers will be watching President Morales concerning one campaign promise in particular: a more equitable¹³ distribution of land resources.

"There has been a lot of backsliding on land reform in Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia," he said.  "If Bolivia [under Morales] can get some movement on land reform, I think people feel there is a hope that there will be legitimacy¹⁴ to push it more forcefully in their own countries, to see how he [Morales] does it, and then come up with the same strategies."

But Princeton University's Deborah Yashar has a word of caution about the realities of governance.

"One of the biggest challenges for these indigenous movements is to move from movement politics to electoral politics," she added.  "When you are doing movement politics, as anyone who is an activist¹⁵ knows, you can articulate a position of principled protest.  But when you engage in electoral politics, this is about compromise.  That is a very tricky¹⁶ political maneuver¹⁷, saying that you are protesting and presenting one set of positions, and then having to worry about getting it through the legislature, where you have to engage in alliances."

Bolivia has Latin America's highest-percentage indigenous population, at more than 60 percent.  Other nations with large Native American populations include Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico.

1 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

2 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

3 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 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。

5 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

6 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

7 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。

8 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

11 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。

12 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

13 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

14 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

15 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。

16 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

17 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。