2007年VOA标准英语-Philippines Offers Muslim Rebels Self-Determina

By Douglas Bakshian
Cotabato, Philippines
13 March 2007

For the first time, the Philippine government has offered self-determination to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, which is fighting for a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines. While both sides welcome the development as a breakthrough, much work remains¹ ahead to hammer out the details of any settlement. Douglas Bakshian reports from Cotabato, in the southern Philippines, on the latest in a troubled peace process.

The Philippine government's offer to grant extensive self-government rights to Muslim communities in the south is unprecedented².

"It is a breakthrough because since the peace process started in 1975 this is the first time that the government is offering recognition of the right to self-determination," said Rudy Rodil, with the government's negotiating panel.

The Philippines is a mostly Christian³ nation, but the population in the southern islands is largely Muslim. For centuries, Muslims have complained about mistreatment by the national government in Manila. Over more than 30 years, a violent separatist insurgency⁴ has claimed more than 120,000 lives in the south.

 
Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim holds gun
Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim leads one of the insurgent⁵ groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He says the new offer is a step forward for the Bangsamoro people, as the MILF calls the Muslims of Mindanao.

"It has been the aspiration⁶ of the Bangsamoro people for their rights to self-determination," he said. "And it is the first time that the Philippine government has officially pronounced that they are willing to grant self-determination to the Bangsamoro people. It can be a breakthrough."

But what does self-determination mean? It has not been clearly defined and will be determined⁷ in negotiations⁸. The MILF broadly defines it as the right of the people to determine their political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

 
Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim shows points on map
Officials say under the offer, the Manila government would treat the proposed Muslim homeland as indigenous⁹ land. But just what residents would control has yet to be worked out.

The MILF says residents could control rights over Mindanao's rich natural resources. The local government might also control taxation¹⁰, the MILF suggests. The sides are still defining terms and not publicly discussing specifics.

 
MILF camp 
However, Manila officials say the offer does not mean an independent state. The central government would keep control of defense¹¹, foreign affairs, the monetary¹² system and the postal¹³ system.

Efforts to end the insurgency bogged¹⁴ down in September when negotiators disagreed over the size of the proposed Muslim homeland.

This prompted the government to seek a new approach - the self-determination option. Earlier negotiations had focused on territorial¹⁵ resources, governance, and the concept of ancestral domain¹⁶ - the area where Muslims ruled before the arrival of the Spanish and Americans.

Benedicto Bacani heads a policy research organization called the Cotabato Institute for Autonomy and Governance. He calls the new offer a significant development.

"There is in my mind a paradigm¹⁷ shift on the part of the government," he said. "They have realized that this cannot be resolved purely¹⁸ through a military solution. And so the proposal of government now revolves¹⁹ around self-determination. So this is the first time that they've admitted using the word self-determination."

But other analysts²⁰ say the new approach may just be a shift in attitude by the government, not necessarily in legal content.

 
MILF guards 
Manila reached a separate peace accord with another Muslim group, the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF, in 1996. That created the Autonomous²¹ Region of Muslim Mindanao, which had only limited autonomy. Many consider the arrangement ineffective.

MNLF officials complain the region has no fiscal²² autonomy, so money comes from the national government, which determines how it is spent. The MNLF wants the regional government to determine where the money goes.

The MILF broke away from the MNLF decades ago, and takes a more hard-line approach to demands for a Muslim homeland.

Some Muslims in the south say the change in Manila's position may be just in time to keep new, radical²³ splinter groups from forming in the region.

"If the Bangsamoro people are not satisfied there will be smaller groups, pocket groups, like the Abu Sayyaf or the Pentagon kidnap gang or even smaller conglomerations that might create a more hostile environment," said Ishak Mastura, a regional secretary in the trade department of the existing Autonomous Region. "That's what the international actors, the government is afraid of, that we can actually spawn²⁴ fourth-generation war groups."

No date has been set for the resumption of formal peace talks, although the government has said it wants to go back to the negotiating table before the May 14 legislative²⁵ elections.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

5 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

6 aspiration   

n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出

参考例句：

• Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
• Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。

7 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

10 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

13 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

14 bogged   

adj.陷于泥沼的v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的过去式和过去分词 )；妨碍，阻碍

参考例句：

• The professor bogged down in the middle of his speech. 教授的演讲只说了一半便讲不下去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The tractor is bogged down in the mud. 拖拉机陷入了泥沼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

16 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

17 paradigm   

n.例子，模范，词形变化表

参考例句：

• He had become the paradigm of the successful man. 他已经成为成功人士的典范。
• Moreover,the results of this research can be the new learning paradigm for digital design studios.除此之外，本研究的研究成果也可以为数位设计课程建立一个新的学习范例。

18 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

19 revolves   

v.（使）旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 )；细想

参考例句：

• The earth revolves both round the sun and on its own axis. 地球既公转又自转。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Thus a wheel revolves on its axle. 于是，轮子在轴上旋转。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 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。

21 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

22 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

23 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

24 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

25 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。