2006年VOA标准英语-Mood Upbeat Ahead of Historic Vote in Aceh

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Banda Aceh
10 December 2006

Acehnese man rides his bike past a campaign sign for one of parties contesting the election on Sunday Dec. 10, 2006 in Banda Aceh

The mood is upbeat in Indonesia's Aceh province, the day before citizens of the region, devastated¹ by decades of war and the 2004 tsunami², go to the polls to elect their own top officials for the first time ever. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from the provincial³ capital, Banda Aceh.

Forty-year-old Nazir has seen his share of misery⁴. He lost his brother during the 29-year conflict between the government and the Free Aceh Movement, and his wife and two of his three children were killed when the tsunami slammed into Aceh in 2004, claiming the lives of more than 160,000 people here.

But Nazir, sitting in a traditional coffee shop in this still only partially⁵ rebuilt city, says he is hopeful. The Indonesian government and the rebels known as the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, signed a peace treaty in August 2005. Their aim was to concentrate on developing the region, instead of using it as a battlefield.

He says he thinks things will run peacefully on election day, and hopes the next governor, whoever he is, will help rebuild the economy of Aceh.

Many here echo Nazir's sentiments. Concerns during the civil conflict, before the tsunami hit, centered on personal safety and security. Now that peace has come to this region rich in oil and gas, most people here want to see the benefits that peace is supposed to bring: economic development, and prosperity.

Most people say they expect Monday's vote to run as smoothly⁶ and peacefully as the campaign that has just ended. There are eight men running for governor, each paired with a candidate for deputy governor, along with candidates for mayor and regent.

Bakhtiar Abdullah, a spokesman for GAM, which was fighting for an independent state in Aceh, reflects the perception here that GAM has truly put away the tools of rebellion, and has opted⁷ for mainstream⁸ democracy instead.

"GAM views these elections as a historic moment because this is the first time that the democratic direct election by the people for the governor and also for all other head of districts and mayor has ever been held in Aceh in a peaceful environment," he said. "And GAM lauds⁹ this historic event and supports the implementation¹⁰ of this democratic fiesta."

The elections have thrown a spotlight¹¹ on divisions within GAM, pitting those who stayed in Aceh to fight the government against those who fled to Sweden, where GAM maintained a government-in-exile throughout the conflict.

Two of the eight pairs running for governor and deputy governor are rival GAM members, pitted against each other instead of the Indonesian military. Both the targets, and the method of combat, have changed.

To win on Monday, one candidate must get at least 25 percent of the vote. If no one reaches that level, there will be a run-off between the two top contenders within 60 days.

1 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

2 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

5 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

6 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

7 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

8 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

9 lauds   

v.称赞，赞美( laud的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The work lauds the victor, Liu Bang. 该曲歌颂了胜利者刘邦。 来自互联网
• The modern world lauds them for their vigor and intensity of purpose, and for their accomplishment. 诸君之祖先曾以大无畏之精神，冒不可思议之困难，筚路褴褛以开发新大陆。 来自互联网

10 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

11 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。