VOA标准英语2010年-Gabon's President Backs Judicial Refor

President Ali Ben Bongo says he wants his government to be more responsive to the needs of its people and is backing changes to the justice system to improve public confidence and the quality of prosecution¹.

Scott Stearns | Dakar 10 January 2010

Gabon's new president is backing judicial² reforms to shorten pre-trial detention³ and improve the prosecution of child abuse. VOA West Africa Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

Ali Ben Bongo won election two months ago as the ruling party's candidate to succeed his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon for nearly 42 years.

But the new President Bongo is already challenging some of the ways of the past, calling for a more equitable⁴ distribution of oil revenues in a country with one of Africa's highest per-capita incomes where the United Nations estimates 70 percent of people still live in poverty.

President Bongo is promising⁵ to nearly double Gabon's minimum wage and build 5,000 new homes a year. He says he wants his government to be more responsive to the needs of its people and is backing changes to the justice system to improve public confidence and the quality of prosecution.

President Bongo says he supports reforms proposed by the chief of Gabon's highest court to better guarantee equitable justice for all citizens. He says there should be an entirely⁶ separate set of judges to address issues of child abuse. President Bongo says pre-trial detention is far too long as a result of a sluggish⁷ judicial system that he says must become more efficient.

The president endorsed⁸ the judicial reforms at a meeting with reporters where he also called for greater professionalism in Gabonese media.

President Bongo says he is not happy with the confusion between a political commitment and a respect for ethics⁹ that still exists in Gabon's media. While the president says he recognizes the professionalism of some print and broadcast journalists, he says the process of establishing a communications school in Gabon must be accelerated to raise the level of professionalism in journalism¹⁰ as has been done in the judiciary.

Emmanuel Ondo Metogo is president of Gabon's National Communications Council.

Metogo urged President Bongo to fund more digital broadcasting training. He says the keys to responsible growth in private sector¹¹ media are independence, diversity, and public access to reliable information.

1 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。

2 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

3 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

4 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

5 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

8 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

10 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

11 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。