2007年VOA标准英语-Analysts Ponder Senegal President's Legacy

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
02 March 2007

President Abdoulaye Wade¹ was declared the winner of Senegal's presidential election late Thursday, giving him five more years in power.  Analysts² are already speculating about his second term as well as the octogenarian president's legacy³.

President Abdoulaye Wade comments after winning re-election

Mr. Wade's campaign slogan was that he needed more time to finish first-term projects. He said higher salaries and steady growth were reasons to keep him in power.

But his opponents said his seven years in office were long enough, pointing to worsening energy problems, a climate of intimidation⁴ against political opponents, unfinished construction projects, and boatloads of unemployed⁵ men risking their lives at sea to search for work in Europe.

Political science professor Yoro Dia at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar says Mr. Wade had many problems in his first term because he was too busy being a politician, rather than a statesman. His second term may an opportunity to polish his image for the history books.

"Now he is re-elected, he will be free from daily politics and he will be knocking on history's door," said Professor. Dia.

The professor says Mr. Wade is fascinated by post-independence presidents Leopold Sedar Senghor and Abdou Diouf who were in power four decades.  Dia says Mr. Wade has been obsessed⁶ with how to stay in power, after his three decades fighting in the opposition⁷ and five failed presidential attempts.

Dia says the president, secure in his second and last term, can now think about his legacy.

"[Former President Leopold Sedar] Senghor has his place in history as someone who built the nation, [former President Abdou] Diouf has his place in history as someone who built the state, and now me, Abdoulaye Wade, what is my place in history?" added Dia.

Director of the Superior Institute of Information Sciences and Communication School in Dakar, Abdou Latif Coulibaly says Mr. Wade's political instincts are autocratic. 

"He uses the rules of democracy to come to power, but when he is in power, he thinks these rules are not good for the Senegalese people and he has to break all these rules and break all the arms that help him to come to power," he said.

Following the electoral commission's announcement of his victory Thursday night, Mr. Wade vowed⁸ to pursue corruption¹⁰ charges against some of his opponents. He said Senegal's laws must be defended.

Mr. Wade has dismissed accusations¹¹ of fraud as lies by journalists, and factually incorrect. He also says Senegal has never been more democratic than under his presidency¹².

But Coulibaly says power is the only shield Mr. Wade has against prosecution¹³, and that his legacy will be a corrupt⁹ one.  There are persistent¹⁴ questions over how Mr. Wade is spending new construction funds, and why close friends, and his son, have been given important positions in managing these funds.

"He himself knows he is not clean," he added.  "Because today he is the president, no one can put him in jail. But when he loses power, he will be in jail I am sure."

Coulibaly wrote a critical biography of Mr. Wade in 2003 called An Opposition Leader Reaches Power, the Danger of Political Change that is banned in Senegal, and is available only in France.

Meanwhile, organizations that want to see Mr. Wade pursue their objectives are already jostling for attention.

A Chadian human rights non-profit group recently asked him to speed up the trial in Senegal of Chad's former ruler, Hissene Habre, who is charged with crimes against humanity. The group wrote that Mr. Wade's second mandate¹⁵ will be crowned a success if the case is heard. 

Mr. Wade did not mention this at the news conference Thursday. He promised to quickly build a new airport and technology university.  He also said journalists should have never doubted his first-round victory for a second term, which constitutionally, should be his last.

1 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

2 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。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

5 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

6 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

7 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。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

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 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

12 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

14 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

15 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。