VOA常速英语2007年-Commonwealth Heads to Meet in Uganda

By Tendai Maphosa
London
19 November 2007

Commonwealth¹ heads of government meet this week in Uganda, for a gathering² the 53 nation group holds once every two years. Tendai Maphosa in London looks at why an organization dismissed by some as an irrelevant³ relic⁴ of the British Empire, still matters.

The first Commonwealth heads of government meeting was held in 1971 in Singapore. From 1944 until then, the meetings were known as Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conferences and were held in London, the exception being 1966 when it was held in Lagos.

Some people dismiss these meetings and the organization itself, saying it's Britain's way of trying to hold on to an empire that it lost long ago.

Eduardo del Buey, the Commonwealth's Official Spokesperson and Director of Communications, told VOA that that membership of the 53-nation association has nothing to do with history or sentimentality. Del Buey described the present day Commonwealth as a values based organization that has seen countries such as Mozambique, which have no colonial links with Britain becoming members.

"It's an organization that is made up of the very largest, very smallest economies; very largest very smallest populations, very largest very smallest in terms of geographical⁵ area," he said. "And, it's an organization that works by consensus⁶. So I think it is more relevant than ever to have an organization that brings all these different peoples together to create a consensus view on the challenges facing humanity."

Democracy, good governance and respect for human rights are supposed to be the cornerstones of the Commonwealth but some members have been criticized for failing to live up to the ideals. Fiji's military coup⁷ in 2006 led to the island's second suspension from the organization. Pakistan, which was suspended for five years after General Musharraf staged a coup in 1999, faces suspension once again if it does not meet a list of demands including the lifting of the current state of emergency.

But del Buey emphasized that the Commonwealth is not a punitive⁸ organization, rather, he said, it helps countries in strengthening their democratic institutions.

Asked if holding the latest Commonwealth meeting in Uganda was not rewarding a government with a controversial human rights record, he said the Commonwealth was helping⁹ member states to be more democratic.

"We are working with President Museveni to improve Ugandan democracy, we are working with a lot of leaders to improve democracy in their countries. No country is perfect, we all have things to learn, we all have things to develop and the purpose of the Commonwealth is to help countries along to develop the institutions they need to be able to govern democratically," added del Buey.

Uganda's High Commissioner¹⁰ in London Joan Rwabyomere told VOA that holding the conference in Uganda would benefit her country in the short and long term.

She said telecommunications and other infrastructure¹¹ had been built or updated for the meeting. This, she added, will create employment for Ugandans and boost tourism. Rwabyomere is a believer in the Commonwealth despite the organization having its foundation in colonialism.

"Our past no matter how painful can be a very strong instrument to keep us together, to help us consolidate¹² the way forward. We have a shared history, we have a common language and we have so much can that we can share in common which can help us to forge ahead," said Rwabyomere.

Neville de Silva, who edits the online newspaper the Asian Tribune, said while the Commonwealth lacks the political or military clout¹³ of the United Nations or NATO it is doing a lot in terms of helping people from its developing member states.

"I think I must look at the economic and technical assistance the Commonwealth provides particularly to the developing countries and there has been a lot of work being done on various aspects from the legal to development," said de Silva.

De Silva said the Commonwealth could enhance its credibility by holding autocratic rulers to the same high standards it applies to military rulers.

1 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

4 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

5 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 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。

8 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

13 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。