2006年VOA标准英语-Zimbabwe's Opposition Leadership Marches to Par

By Tendai Maphosa
Harare
01 September 2006
 
  
  
Months after Zimbabwe's main opposition¹ promised unspecified mass action to protest the continued political and economic crisis in the country, the party's leadership Friday led a demonstration² to parliament to deliver what it calls its road map to the end of the problems.

----

The march by some 250 placard-waving and singing members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was led by party president Morgan Tsvangirai along with other senior members of the party. At the end of the march, Tsvangirai briefly³ addressed his followers⁴ in Shona.

"This is the beginning," he said. "We shall continue until we are free."

Tendai Biti, the MDC's secretary-general, told VOA the purpose of the march is to demonstrate that the opposition has a plan of action.

"We had gone to parliament to deliver a road map for democracy to this regime," said Biti. "It's a reflection of things to come, we don't want to go into details but I can assure you there is more where this is coming from."

The demonstrators made their march from the party headquarters in downtown Harare - a block away from parliament - without an incident. They did not, however, succeed in delivering their document to the speaker of parliament as intended because the doors of the house were slammed in their faces. In response, they pinned the document to the door of parliament.

The march took place without the police breaking up the protest, which, according to Zimbabwean law, was illegal. In the past, the police have dealt ruthlessly with any form of dissent⁵. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the police were caught off guard.

"Right now they are still mobilizing. They do not have fuel, so they are still trying to get drums of fuel but we have already finished," he said. "This regime is not prepared, the crisis is beginning to bite the system's capacity to respond to people's legitimate⁶ discontent."

Chamisa believes Friday's march can be replicated⁷ on a national scale. He declined to give any details and plans are under way to go forward with long promised mass action.

"We have not made a call to the people but you can see once we make that call, the people are going to come out," added Chamisa.

University of Zimbabwe's John Makumbe agreed that the people of Zimbabwe are ready to risk life and limb to put an end to their suffering. 

 
Robert Mugabe (file photo)
  
Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence 26 years ago. Inflation is close to 1,000 percent and fuel, food and foreign currency are in short supply. Critics of President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, blame government mismanagement for the meltdown.

Mr. Mugabe blames Western-imposed sanctions for the country's problems. Mr. Mugabe and senior members of his party and government are on the list of a travel ban imposed by the European Union and the United States for alleged⁸ human rights abuses.

1 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。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

5 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

7 replicated   

复制( replicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• Later outplant the seedlings in a replicated permanent test plantation. 以后苗木出圃栽植成重复的永久性试验林。
• The phage has replicated and the donor cells have lysed. 噬菌体已复制和给体细胞已发生裂解。

8 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