2007年VOA标准英语-Mbeki Fires Deputy Health Minister, Sparks Nati

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
09 August 2007

South African President Thabo Mbeki has fired the outspoken¹ Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge following reports of an unauthorized visit to an AIDS conference in Spain. However, as VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our bureau in Johannesburg, the firing has prompted outrage² amongst HIV/AIDS advocates.

Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge has a blood sample taken to test for AIDS in Port Shepstone, South Africa, in this Nov. 2006 photograph

President Mbeki did not offer reasons for his decision to dismiss Madlala-Routledge, but his announcement follows reports that the former deputy minister traveled to Spain on official business without the president's approval. There are reports that Madlala-Routledge submitted a travel request but, due to a misunderstanding, had already left the country when her office was officially informed that Mr. Mbeki had turned down the request.

Together with Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Madlala-Routledge was a driving force behind the adoption³ of South Africa's new Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS. Under their leadership, the government drew up the plan with input⁴ from private institutions and activist⁵ organizations. The plan has received widespread approval and support.

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who has been on sick leave, has been widely criticized for her handling not only of South Africa's AIDS pandemic but of the public health sector⁶ in general. She is known to have had a poor working relationship with Madlala-Routledge. Patricia de Lille, leader of the opposition⁷ Independent Democrats⁸, told national radio that Madlala-Routledge's poor relationship with the health minister is behind the dismissal.

"Well, I think its all got to do with the differences between her and the minister of health," she said. "The president has always taken sides with the minister of health and [Madlala-Routledge] is just a casualty of that [approach] by the president."

In addition to disagreements with her boss over the handling of HIV/AIDS, Madlala-Routledge earned the ire of both the health minister and the president for her outspoken comments on the failures of the public health system.

An earlier request she made for a complete review of the public health sector was turned down. More recently, she called the high rate of infant mortality in public hospitals a national emergency.

The health minister rejected her deputy's criticisms. Presidential spokesperson Makoni Ratshitonga hinted on national radio that the dispute may have influenced Mr. Mbeki.

"Well, the president would have been concerned about the contradiction between the two versions, between the minister on one hand and the deputy minister on the other," said Ratshitonga.

The Treatment Action Campaign, the country's foremost AIDS advocacy group, has urged Mr. Mbeki to reconsider his decision, saying the deputy minister has offered honesty, integrity, leadership and hope in a ministry⁹ that has become synonymous with pseudo-science and incompetence¹⁰.

1 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

2 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

3 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

4 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

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 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 incompetence   

n.不胜任，不称职

参考例句：

• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。
• She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss's incompetence. 她觉得，本是老板无能，但她却成了替罪羊。