2006年VOA标准英语-Ghana's Former President Denies Coup Allegation

By Efam Dovi
Accra
26 October 2006

In Ghana, former President Jerry John Rawlings has denied allegations he is planning a coup¹. Ghana's current president made the accusation² this week at a campaign rally.

Relations between Ghana President John Kufuor and his predecessor³ have been strained since Rawlings handed over power in 2001, after a democratic election.

Jerry John Rawlings (1997 file photo)

Rawlings, who came to power in a 1981 military uprising, and later won two democratic elections, challenged President Kufuor to provide proof of an alleged⁴ coup plot.

President Kufuor made the allegations at a party rally Tuesday, saying Rawlings was soliciting⁵ funds from an oil-rich country to overthrow⁶ President Kufuor's New Patriotic⁷ Party government.

Rawlings described the allegations as so wild and off the mark that it gave no credibility to the Kufuor government's intelligence service.

 

"I have said all kinds of things, all over the world, and I will continue to do so, as he says. But not once, have I asked for a coup against this regime," he said. "Even here, you know, he knows that I have been telling the commanders that you must call this government to order, not to make a coup, call them to order."

 

 

Rawlings said he has been traveling to several Middle East countries in regards to a proposed economic forum⁸.

 

Rawlings accused the Kufuor government of attacking him to distract the nation's attention from a series of corruption¹⁰ and illicit¹¹ drug scandals.

 

Speaking at a news conference, former president Rawlings also criticized the West, in particular the United States, for overlooking the corruption in Kufuor's government.

 

"[President] Bush's credibility sadly is at stake. Why is it at stake? Because some day, there is no doubt in my mind, that the world will also ask that, 'How could you have possibly invited such a corrupt⁹ man in Ghana, and heap praises upon him as a man of vision, as a man who is fighting corruption and all these things?," he said.

 

 

President Kufuor visited Washington in August, and signed a $547 million aid accord with the United States, under the Bush administration's Millennium¹² Challenge program. The initiative ties funding to good governance and anti-corruption commitments by recipient¹³ states.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised President Kufuor for his international role.

1 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

2 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

3 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 soliciting   

v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

7 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

8 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

9 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

10 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。

11 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

12 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

13 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。