印度上议院对反腐法案推迟表决

In India, the fate of an anti-corruption bill is in limbo after the upper house of parliament failed to pass the measure. The opposition is accusing the government of scuttling the legislation, which was the culmination of months of political debate and public protest in the country.

印度议会上议院没有对反腐法案进行表决，使得这项法案的命运难以确定。反对党指责政府拖延法案，该法案是数月的政治争论和公众抗议后的产物。

A day after the upper house of parliament adjourned without holding a widely-awaited vote on the anti-corruption bill, the government faced intense criticism.

印度政府受到强烈批评。一天前，印度议会上议院在休会前没有像广泛期待的那样对反腐法案进行投票表决。

The measure, which has been passed by the lower house, seeks to create an independent ombudsman to probe corruption among politicians and bureaucrats.

印度议会下议院已经通过这项法案。该法案寻求设立一个独立的调查官员来调查政治人物和官僚中的腐败问题。

But after 13 hours of acrimonious debate Thursday, the government abruptly announced at midnight that time had run out and the parliamentary session could not be extended.

但是星期四经过长达13个小时的激烈辩论之后，政府突然在午夜宣布时间已到，议会会议不能延长。

Opposition parties say the government deliberately avoided a vote because it faced the likelihood of a defeat as its own allies had refused to support the so-called "Lokpal" bill.

反对党说，政府是故意避免投票，因为可能受到挫败，政府自己的同盟此前已表示拒绝支持这项名为“Lokpal”(意味“人民保护者”)的法案。

“This was a choreographed action since yesterday… government, it has conspired in a manner so as to avoid a vote," said Arun Jaitley, head of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. "It has no right to govern this country even for a day. This government has lost its political authority, it has lost its moral authority.”

印度主要反对党人民党的领袖阿兰·贾特里说：“这是精心策划的一个行动，政府进行策划以避免投票表决。政府无权统治这个国家，连一天的权利都没有。这个政府已经丧失了它的政治权限，已经丧失了道德权限。”

Key allies from regional parties had also opposed sections of the bill allowing the central government to create an anti-corruption ombudsman in the states. The opposition BJP has called the measure weak and ineffective because the ombudsman does not have independent powers of investigation.

印度主要的地方政党同盟也反对这项法案中允许中央政府在各邦设立反腐调查官员的条款。反对党人民党认为这项措施疲弱而无效，因为反腐调查官没有独立的调查权。

The government is defending putting off the vote, saying that it needs time to study the nearly 200 amendments brought by members of the upper house or Rajya Sabha. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal says the proposed legislation will not be forgotten.

印度政府为推迟表决辩护，政府说它需要时间来研究上议院议员拟定的将近200项修正案。印度议会事务部长班萨尔说，这项法案不会被遗忘。

“The bill will remain pending on the register of Rajya Sabha, and the next time we can consider and pass the Bill,” said Bansal.

班萨尔说：“这项法案将留在上议院有待表决，下次我们可以考虑并通过这项法案。”

Political commentator and constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap supports the view that the government shied away from a vote to avoid embarrassment. He says the fate of the anti-corruption bill is uncertain, and it could face more delays.

政治评论员和宪法专家萨布哈什·卡什亚普也认为政府为免尴尬而避免投票。他说，反腐法案的命运难以确定，可能会面临更多拖延。

“It has been put on the political backburner. It was a question of political will on the part of the government and part of political parties," said Kashyap. "If they wanted to pass Lokpal Bill, they could have passed it.”

卡什亚普说：“这项法案已被置之一旁。这是政府和政党的政治意愿的问题。如果他们想通过Lokpal法案，他们已经通过了。”Meanwhile, anti corruption activist, Anna Hazare, whose year-long mass campaign galvanized the government into drafting the bill, will meet with his supporters next week to decide how to carry forward his movement. They want the bill redrafted to make it stronger.

与此同时，反腐活动家安纳·哈扎尔下星期将与他的支持者会面，以决定如何推进他的反腐运动。哈扎尔进行了长达一年的大规模反腐运动，促使政府起草这项法案。哈扎尔和他的支持者们希望重新拟定法案，让法案更强有力。

Hazare cut short his latest hunger strike held this week to pressure parliament due to poor health. But his protest had also drawn far fewer crowds than his previous campaigns, leading commentators to say that his movement has run out of steam.

由于健康原因，哈扎尔这星期提早结束了他旨在向议会施压的最新一轮绝食行动。不过他的这次抗议所吸引的人数比他之前的运动要少得多，评论人士说，他的抗议运动已经失去势头。

Political commentator Kashyap says the failure to pass the anti-graft Bill could reinvigorate the movement.

政治评论员卡什亚普说，没有通过反腐法案可能重新引发抗议运动。

“The stand taken by the government that might give a fresh fillip (stimulus) to the movement, it may awaken the cause, it may instill new life,” he said.

卡什亚普说：“政府的这一举动可能再度激发抗议运动，可能会唤起动力，注入新的生机。”

The failure to pass the anti-graft legislation is another blow to the ruling Congress Party. The government also faced an embarrassment earlier this month when it had to withdraw its decision to allow foreign retailers into India due to widespread political opposition.

没有通过反腐法案是对印度执政党国大党的又一打击。这个月早些时候，政府还遇到另一尴尬局面，由于受到广泛的政治压力，政府不得不取消它允许外国零售商进入印度的决定。