THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-December 30, 2016- Topic 2
Colombia’s government now knows only too
well that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. In October, a
referendum to ratify a painstakingly negotiated peace deal it had signed with
the long-time insurgent organisation, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC), was narrowly defeated. A more piecemeal, less ambitious and
sequenced process since then has helped Bogota notch its first significant
victory in effecting the peace deal with the rebels. Now, Colombia’s Congress
has unanimously approved an amnesty law granting immunity to FARC fighters from
prosecution for committing minor crimes, clearing a major hurdle in effecting
the revised peace accord. Those accused of major crimes will be tried by a
special tribunal. The main difficulty in passing this measure was the intransigence
of the leading opposition, the right-wing Centro Democratico led by former
President Alvaro Uribe, who had led a vigorous campaign first against talks
between the government and the rebels, later during the referendum and also
when a revised accord was eventually signed and ratified by Congress on
December 1. The party abstained during voting both during the ratification and
when the amnesty law was introduced. The law helps overcome a key sticking
point for those who voted “No” in the October referendum and who felt that the
government was being too lenient with those among the FARC commanders accused
of severe crimes. The law will reassure the rebels, who are moving to special
demobilisation zones, marking a breakthrough in the five-decade-long civil war
that has taken more than 2,20,000 lives.
Without doubt, the Nobel Peace Prize
given to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos gave him the necessary ballast
and international support to carry out these steps. But there are other laws to
be passed, including those addressing FARC’s demands for agrarian reform and
compensation to victims of the civil war. There is still some distance to go
before FARC converts itself into a political party to participate in the
contested polity. Amendments to the peace accord include requirements from FARC
to share details about any involvement in drug production and declaration of
assets. But there is a clear commitment towards peace shown by both the
government and FARC, especially after the initial accord was signed. If things
go as per the government’s plan, the rebels should become civilians by May
2017, culminating in the end of a process that began with negotiations four
years ago.
Vocabulary
Slip: an act of sliding unintentionally for a short distance.
Example: A single slip could send them plummeting down the mountainside
Synonyms: false step, misstep, slide, skid, fall, tumble
Painstaking: done with or employing great
care and thoroughness.
Example: Painstaking attention to detail
Synonyms: careful, meticulous, thorough, assiduous, sedulous, attentive
Insurgent: a rebel or revolutionary.
Example: An attack by armed insurgents
Synonyms: rebel, revolutionary, revolutionist, mutineer, insurrectionist
Piecemeal: characterized by unsystematic partial measures taken over
a period of time.
Example: The village is slowly being killed off by piecemeal development
Synonyms: a little at a time, piece by piece, bit by bit, gradually
Amnesty: an official pardon for people who have been convicted of
political offenses.
Example: An amnesty for political prisoners
Synonyms: pardon, pardoning, reprieve, grace, release, discharge
Vigorous: strong, healthy, and full of energy.
Example: We're told, kept up his full, vigorous schedule this
Christmas Eve
Synonyms: robust, healthy, strong, sturdy, fit, hardy, tough, athletic
Abstained: formally decline to vote either for or against a proposal
or motion.
Example: Forty-one voted with the opposition, and some sixty more abstained
Synonyms: not vote, decline to vote
Lenient: permissive, merciful, or tolerant.
Example: Judges were far too lenient with petty criminals
Synonyms: merciful, clement, forgiving, forbearing, tolerant, charitable, humane
Ballast: give stability by putting a heavy substance in its bilge.
Example: The vessel has been ballasted to give the necessary floating stability
Culminate: reach a climax or point of highest development.
Example: The tensions and disorders which culminated in World War II
Synonyms: come to a climax, come to a head, peak, climax, reach
a pinnacle