THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - June 19, 2018 - Topic 2
On Colombia's first
presidential election: In the shadow of FARC
Colombia’s first presidential election since the landmark
2016 peace deal with the FARC Marxist guerrillas has thrown up the youngest
winner in its history. But the victory of the 41-year-old right-wing candidate,
Iván Duque, raises questions for the future of the agreement negotiated by the Nobel
Peace Prize-winning outgoing President, Juan Manuel Santos. Mr. Duque, a
relative political novice, beat his rival, Gustavo Petro, an erstwhile
insurgent, by a 12 percentage point margin in Sunday’s run-off.
Mr. Duque’s
victory is likely to help the conservatives further consolidate their gains in
the Congress, where the centrists led by Mr. Santos remain weakened. Mr.
Duque’s decade-long work experience with the Inter-American Development Bank
perhaps partly explains his programme of economic orthodoxy — to cut corporate
taxes and create a conducive climate for investment in the oil sector. A
protégé of the conservative former President Álvaro Uribe, Mr. Duque can count
on backing from his mentor’s Democratic Centre party. There is some concern,
however, that the veteran politician could exert undue influence. This is
especially so because Mr. Duque, like many on the political right, has been
sceptical of the peace agreement with the rebels, and Mr. Uribe had actively
opposed the referendum on the deal. The grant of amnesty to the extremists and
codified guarantees of representation in the Congress, to ensure a smooth
passage into the political mainstream, have proved the most contentious
provisions. As President, Mr. Duque may be more disposed to adopting a moderate
stance.
The outcome in the run-off was not surprising
given the steady marginalisation of centrist forces, leaving the field open to
the extremes. In March, the contender from the Revolutionary Alternative Common
Force(FARC), the rebel movement refashioned as a political party with a name
that retains its former acronym, quit the presidential race. After violent
attacks on its candidates, it had suspended its campaign for the Congressional
election. The FARC’s withdrawal from the contest marked a setback for the
central plank of the peace process — the rebels’ right to run for public office
in return for the surrender of arms. It also illustrates the tenuous nature of
the accord overall, as the judicial and other mechanisms to advance its objectives
are still not in place. A return to civil peace after a protracted conflict, in
which hundreds of thousands were killed and many more displaced, is a
painstaking process that, above all, calls for firm moral and political
conviction. The legacy Mr. Santos leaves behind is the courage he mustered to
clinch the controversial peace accord with the perpetrators of the worst
brutalities for half a century. Mr. Duque, who assumes office in August, will
be judged in terms of the distance he can travel to make the Colombian dream an
enduring reality.
Vocabulary
Negotiate: try
to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion with others.
Example: His
government's willingness to negotiate
Synonyms: discuss
terms, talk, consult, parley, confer, debate, compromise
Novice: a
person new to or inexperienced in a field or situation.
Example: He
was a complete novice in foreign affairs
Synonyms: beginner, learner, neophyte, newcomer, initiate, tyro
Consolidate: combine
(a number of things) into a single more effective or coherent whole.
Example: All
manufacturing activities have been consolidated in new premises
Synonyms: combine, unite, merge, integrate, amalgamate, fuse, synthesize
Perhaps: used
to express uncertainty or possibility.
Example: Perhaps
I should have been frank with him
Synonyms: maybe, for
all one knows, it could be, it may be, it's
possible, possibly
Conservative: a
person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes,
typically in relation to politics.
Example: They
saw fascists as more patriotic and determined than traditional conservatives .
Synonyms: right-winger, reactionary, rightist, diehard, Republican, Tory
Undue: unwarranted
or inappropriate because excessive or disproportionate.
Example: This
figure did not give rise to undue concern
Synonyms: excessive, immoderate, intemperate, inordinate, disproportionate
Sceptical: not
easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.
Example: The
public were deeply skeptical about some of the proposals
Synonyms: dubious, doubtful, taking
something with a pinch of salt, doubting
Contentious: causing
or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
Example: A
contentious issue
Synonyms: controversial, disputable, debatable, disputed,
vexed
Tenuous: very
weak or slight.
Example: The
tenuous link between interest rates and investment
Synonyms: slight, insubstantial, meager, flimsy, weak, doubtful, dubious
Enduring: remain
in existence
Example: These
cities have endured through time
Synonyms: lasting,
abiding, durable, continuing, persisting, eternal
