印度上議院對反腐法案推遲表決

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.

印度議會上議院沒有對反腐法案進行表決，使得這項法案的命運難以確定。反對黨指責政府拖延法案，該法案是數月的政治爭論和公衆抗議後的產物。

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.

印度政府受到強烈批評。一天前，印度議會上議院在休會前沒有像廣泛期待的那樣對反腐法案進行投票表決。

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

印度議會下議院已經通過這項法案。該法案尋求設立一個獨立的調查官員來調查政治人物和官僚中的腐敗問題。

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.

但是星期四經過長達13個小時的激烈辯論之後，政府突然在午夜宣佈時間已到，議會會議不能延長。

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.

反對黨說，政府是故意避免投票，因爲可能受到挫敗，政府自己的同盟此前已表示拒絕支持這項名爲“Lokpal”(意味“人民保護者”)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.”

印度主要反對黨人民黨的領袖阿蘭·賈特里說：“這是精心策劃的一個行動，政府進行策劃以避免投票表決。政府無權統治這個國家，連一天的權利都沒有。這個政府已經喪失了它的政治權限，已經喪失了道德權限。”

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.

印度主要的地方政黨同盟也反對這項法案中允許中央政府在各邦設立反腐調查官員的條款。反對黨人民黨認爲這項措施疲弱而無效，因爲反腐調查官沒有獨立的調查權。

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.

印度政府爲推遲表決辯護，政府說它需要時間來研究上議院議員擬定的將近200項修正案。印度議會事務部長班薩爾說，這項法案不會被遺忘。

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

班薩爾說：“這項法案將留在上議院有待表決，下次我們可以考慮並通過這項法案。”

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.

政治評論員和憲法專家薩布哈什·卡什亞普也認爲政府爲免尷尬而避免投票。他說，反腐法案的命運難以確定，可能會面臨更多拖延。

“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.”

卡什亞普說：“這項法案已被置之一旁。這是政府和政黨的政治意願的問題。如果他們想通過Lokpal法案，他們已經通過了。”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.

與此同時，反腐活動家安納·哈扎爾下星期將與他的支持者會面，以決定如何推進他的反腐運動。哈扎爾進行了長達一年的大規模反腐運動，促使政府起草這項法案。哈扎爾和他的支持者們希望重新擬定法案，讓法案更強有力。

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.

由於健康原因，哈扎爾這星期提早結束了他旨在向議會施壓的最新一輪絕食行動。不過他的這次抗議所吸引的人數比他之前的運動要少得多，評論人士說，他的抗議運動已經失去勢頭。

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

政治評論員卡什亞普說，沒有通過反腐法案可能重新引發抗議運動。

“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.

卡什亞普說：“政府的這一舉動可能再度激發抗議運動，可能會喚起動力，注入新的生機。”

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.

沒有通過反腐法案是對印度執政黨國大黨的又一打擊。這個月早些時候，政府還遇到另一尷尬局面，由於受到廣泛的政治壓力，政府不得不取消它允許外國零售商進入印度的決定。