VOA标准英语2010年-Turkey's 'Ghandi' Could Shake Up Natio

Kemal Kilicdaroglu addresses the CHP congress in Ankara, Turkey, 22 May 2010

The new leader of Turkey's main opposition¹ party is being heralded² by much of the media as the Gandhi of Turkey because of  his quiet demeanor³ and tendency to reject ostentation⁴. His election is being heralded as a potential earthquake in Turkish politics.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 61, was elected leader of the center left People's Republican Party (CHP) with a landslide⁵ majority, one that provoked a carnival-like atmosphere at the party conference. In his first speech Kilacdaroglu promised to bring his party back to its center-left roots.

"We will fight corruption⁶ in a real sense and bring the injustice⁷ to an end," Kilicdaroglu said. "We will combat unemployment and poverty from the very beginning."

This is a very different kind of speech from his predecessor⁸ Deniz Baykal, who led the party for nearly 20 years until he was forced to quit earlier this month over a sex scandal.

Under Baykal observers say the party shifted towards the nationalist right and mainly engaged the ruling Islamic rooted AK party over policies that he claimed were aimed at undermining Turkey's secular⁹ state.

With Kilicdaroglu's ascent¹⁰, those days seem to be over.

The new, more mild-mannered leader didn't mention secularism¹¹ once in his opening speech - focusing instead on social injustice and, in particular, Turkey's chronic¹² unemployment.

Kilicdaroglu's commitment to focus on such problems could be a winning formula, says political columnist¹³ Semih Idiz of the Turkish daily Milliyet.

"Anybody he had slightly left leaning social democratic inclination¹⁴ really had nobody to vote for in this country," he said. "There is a public out there which is clamoring for change in the CHP. And therefore it may be very well be Mr. Kilicdaroglu is the man that transforms the party."

Observers say the abrasive¹⁵ nature of the former leader splintered the center left into various fighting factions¹⁶. Now that trend could be reversing.

Immediately following the election of  Kilicdaroglu, two independent parliamentary deputies from the left have joined  the main opposition party, while other prominent left leaning figures in Turkish politics have rejoined CHP.

Kilicdaroglu's background, too, is very different for Turkish politics. He is an Alevi - which means he is a member of a progressive Islamic sect¹⁷ which is often discriminated¹⁸ against by orthodox Muslims in Turkey. He also comes from a predominantly Kurdish region of the country.

In his first speech he committed his party to reducing the 10 percent electoral threshold which effectively bars Kurdish regional parties from gaining entry in parliament. But he received some criticism for not directly addressing the ongoing²⁰ conflict between Kurdish separatists and the Turkish state.

Kilicdaroglu also has a humble²¹ reputation, dressing¹⁹ modestly and preferring public transport to chauffeur-driven limousines²². He also speaks softly rarely raising his voice, something unusual in Turkish politics, resulting in some of the Turkish media describing him as the Turkish Gandhi.

Crucially, in a country continually hit by corruption scandals, he has made his political name exposing high-level government graft²³, forcing two members of from the ruling AK party to resign.

On the streets of Istanbul, at least for now,  there appears to be a positive response to his election.

"Kilicdaroglu, he is honest and one of us, his thinking his ideas, just like us. I hope he is going to be much more powerful," said one man.

"I don't support his party, but he can make changes and those changes will change the country in a good way," said another man.

An opinion poll published last week suggested that Kilicdaroglu's appointment would attract more votes. With national elections due next year the ruling AK Party is facing its first serious contender since it came to power eight years ago. Turkish media say that's good for democracy.

Such sentiments are reflected by the opinion polls, with one reliable poll suggesting that Kilicdaroglu's election will attract more voters. For the first time since the ruling AK party came to power eight years ago, it's facing a serious contender. Murat Yetkin political columnist for the Turkish daily Radical²⁴, says that's good for democracy.

"In a pluralistic democracies governments get stronger with stronger opposition," he said. "You need a balancing power in front of the government."

There has been also a positive political reaction from the European Union. Political columnist Idiz says that's because there is hope that Kilicdaroglu will bring a new approach.

"The CHP says itself it's for the EU, but it has certainly has not been acting²⁵ as party that is," he said.

It remains²⁶ unclear whether Kilicdaroglu can maintain his political momentum²⁷, and critics point out he has given few policy details. Moreover, his quite demeanor could mean he'll wither²⁸ in the cut and thrust of Turkish politics. But with just over a year to go to general elections, he has a momentum and has given belief back to his party, on which has been out of power for more than three decades.
 

1 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。

2 heralded   

v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 demeanor   

n.行为；风度

参考例句：

• She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
• The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。

4 ostentation   

n.夸耀，卖弄

参考例句：

• Choose a life of action,not one of ostentation.要选择行动的一生，而不是炫耀的一生。
• I don't like the ostentation of their expensive life - style.他们生活奢侈，爱摆阔，我不敢恭维。

5 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

6 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。

7 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

8 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

9 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

10 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

11 secularism   

n.现世主义；世俗主义；宗教与教育分离论；政教分离论

参考例句：

• Unless are devoted to God, secularism shall not leave us. 除非我们奉献于神，否则凡俗之心便不会离开我们。 来自互联网
• They are no longer a huge threat to secularism. 他们已不再是民主的巨大威胁。 来自互联网

12 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

13 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

14 inclination   

n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好

参考例句：

• She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
• I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

15 abrasive   

adj.使表面磨损的；粗糙的；恼人的

参考例句：

• His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety.他生硬粗暴的态度让他声名狼藉。
• She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her.她的手腕有多出磨伤，那是被粗糙的绳子擦伤的。

16 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

17 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

18 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

19 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

20 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

21 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

22 limousines   

n.豪华轿车( limousine的名词复数 )；（往返机场接送旅客的）中型客车，小型公共汽车

参考例句：

• Elearor hated to use White House limousines because she didn't want people spying on her. 埃莉诺很不愿意使用白宫的小轿车，因为她不愿让人暗中监视她。 来自辞典例句
• Maybe they are seeking for spacious houses and limousines. 也许在追求阔宅豪车。 来自互联网

23 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

24 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。

25 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

26 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。

27 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

28 wither   

vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡

参考例句：

• She grows as a flower does-she will wither without sun.她象鲜花一样成长--没有太阳就会凋谢。
• In autumn the leaves wither and fall off the trees.秋天，树叶枯萎并从树上落下来。