2007年VOA标准英语-South Africa's Ruling Party to Mull Policy, Lea

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
22 June 2007

South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, will hold a conference next week (June 27 - 30) to chart its policy for the next decade and prepare to elect a new leadership at its national congress in December. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our bureau in Johannesburg.

African National Congress delegates meet next week amid simmering tension within the party and with its alliance partners over two main issues: the government's management of the economy since the beginning of ANC rule in 1994; and a likely successor to replace Thabo Mbeki as president and party leader in 2009.

Cape1 Town, South Africa, 01 June 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070629/1052360.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

South African civil servants protest outside the Red Cross children's hospital during the first day of a national public service strike in Cape Town, South Africa, 01 June 2007

At the heart of resentment² over the economy is a perception that the government has assumed a bias³ toward capital and the middle-class at the expense of workers and the poor. Many black South Africans can now be counted among the middle-class, and a small number among the super rich. But with an unemployment rate of over 25 percent, millions more remain jobless and poor. Analyst⁴ Aubrey Matshiqi says there is a growing inequality that could in the future expose South Africa to social and economic instability.

"Because what we have seen over the past 13 years is a situation where yes, we have economic growth and economic fundamentals are sound, but the benefits of that growth have not extended significantly beyond capital and the middle class," said Matshiqi.

President Thabo Mbeki and other senior A.N.C. leaders in government argue that the government had to stabilize⁵ the economy, which was in a decline at the end of apartheid; and they say, they could only do so within the constraints⁶ of the global economy. They say that even so, management of the economy has always been focused on reducing inequalities in the society. Matshiqi, a senior political associate at Johannesburg's Center for Policy Studies, argues that the government has not yet found the right formula for ending poverty and inequality.

"The critical thing is that you need a redistribution strategy; a redistribution strategy that is targeted toward reducing inequalities and once you succeed in addressing the problem of inequality then you will be in good stead as far as addressing the problem of poverty is concerned," he said. "Because it is going to be difficult for the ANC to engage in poverty alleviation⁷ programs unless it is able to deal effectively with the issue of addressing inequalities in South African society."

Among the most vocal⁸ critics of government policy are the ANC's own alliance partners, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, who argue that the ANC, as a ruling party, has diverted from its liberation history toward big business.

The focus of their resentment is President Mbeki and they had pinned their hopes on former deputy president Jacob Zuma stepping into his shoes in 2009. When the president fired Zuma two years ago because his financial advisor⁹ was convicted of corruption¹⁰, the debate about the management of the economy and the presidential succession became intertwined and very heated.

Analyst Matshiqi says that this is not least because the ruling party has become a means toward economic power.

"Because, the ANC has become one of the main instruments of class formation in this country; and therefore accessing power directly through the ANC or having links with those who have accessed that power can advantage particular interests especially of those who want to gain more access to the benefits particularly of black economic empowerment," he said.

The intensity¹¹ of these debates has been deepened because of the current strike by public servants and has prompted much speculation¹² that the ANC will consequently shift to the left as it formulates¹³ its policies at the coming conference. Jonathan Faul, researcher at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, argues that any major shifts are unlikely.

"It is very likely that there will be a realignment of the ANC slightly to the left of where it is currently. But certainly the ANC is not going to be taken over by COSATU and the SACP," he said. "There is not going to be a radical¹⁴ departure from its current practices and policies."

The African National Congress is often described as a broad church because it draws support from a wide range of interest groups. Faul notes that this plays an important role preventing radical policy shifts within the party.

"And the ANC's tradition in order to accommodate such diversity in its ranks, in order to make sure a broad church work, is to compromise; and then to build consensus¹⁵ around the compromise," he said.

In addition to economic policy and leadership issues, the conference will also turn its attention to education, health and social services. The conference will not make any final decisions but will direct the outcome to the national congress in December by way of resolutions.

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

3 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

6 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 alleviation   

n. 减轻，缓和，解痛物

参考例句：

• These were the circumstances and the hopes which gradually brought alleviation to Sir Thomas's pain. 这些情况及其希望逐渐缓解了托马斯爵士的痛苦。
• The cost reduction achieved in this way will benefit patients and the society in burden alleviation. 集中招标采购降低的采购成本要让利于患者，减轻社会负担。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

8 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

9 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

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 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

12 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

13 formulates   

v.构想出( formulate的第三人称单数 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示

参考例句：

• Article Eleven SEPA formulates the overall plans of the training. 第十一条环保总局统筹规划培训工作。 来自互联网
• This paper carries on the experimental analysis and formulates some anti-disturbance measures. 文章对电磁干扰进行了实验分析，并有针对性地制定一些抗干扰措施。 来自互联网

14 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。

15 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？