Skip to main content

17 Nov 2017-The Hindu Editorial-Vocabulary

The contours of a post-Mugabe Zimbabwe are still not clear

Zimbabwe’s prolonged political crisis reached the boiling point earlier this month when President Robert Mugabe dismissed the Vice-President, Emmerson  Mnangagwa. A battle to succeed the 93-year-old liberation hero-turned President had already been brewing within the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), with the old guard backing Mr. Mnangagwa, himself a freedom fighter, and ‘Generation 40’, a grouping of younger leaders supporting Mr. Mugabe’s 52-year-old wife, Grace. Ms. Mugabe, known for her extravagant lifestyle and interfering ways, has been vocal in recent months about her political ambitions. Mr. Mugabe was seen to have endorsed her when on November 6 he dismissed Mr. Mnangagwa. But Mr. Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, erred on two counts: he underestimated the deep connections Mr. Mnangagwa has within the establishment and overestimated his own power in a system he has helped shape. In the good old days, Mr. Mugabe was able to rule with an iron grip. But those days are gone. Age and health problems have weakened his hold on power, while there is a groundswell of anger among the public over economic mismanagement. So when he turned against a man long seen by the establishment as his successor, Mr. Mugabe left little doubt that he was acting from a position of political weakness. This gave the security forces the confidence to turn against him and make it clear they didn’t want a Mugabe dynasty.
The military doesn’t want to call its action a coup d’etat, for obvious reasons. A coup would attract international condemnation, even sanctions. But it is certain that the army chief, Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, is in charge. His plan, as it emerges, is to force Mr. Mugabe to resign and install a transitional government, perhaps under Mr. Mnangagwa, until elections are held. If Mr. Mugabe doesn’t resign, it will complicate the process. He has not been seen since the army took over the capital, Harare. Any attempt to hurt him could backfire. Even if he agrees to resign, the transition may not be smooth. However inept and dictatorial Mr. Mugabe’s regime had been, a coup will remain a coup irrespective of what the plotters call it, raising questions of legitimacy about the new government. Also, Mr. Mugabe can still tap into his support base among the black working class, which has provided him a buffer against public anger towards his government. Across Africa, he continues to be seen by many as an anti-colonial hero. His successor, who will be picked by the generals, will inherit huge challenges — a dysfunctional economy, massive unemployment, a broken ruling party and a united opposition. Besides, the military has shaken up the civilian supremacy over the armed forces by staging this coup. The biggest challenge for the new leader will be to make sure that the military stays in the barracks.

1 CONTOURS  <KON /TORS > ::  रूपरेखा 
 [Noun]           
Meaningà             An outline representing or bounding the shape or form of something
 Synonymà                        Outline ,shape ,curves ,figure ,form    
Exampleà              the perfect contours of  his/ her body
Antonymsà           crooked ,straight  ,  dullness

2.PROLONGED <PRO /LONGED > :: लंबा
 [Adjective]
Meaningà              continuing for a long time or longer than usual;.
 Synonymà                        lengthy ,extended , protracted, sustained
Antonymà             Short ,Brief
Exampleà                  The region suffered a prolonged droughtà(सूखा /अकाल)

3. BREWING <BRU / ING > ::     तैयार करना
 [Verb ]=  present participle: brewing
Meaningà                   To start to exist or happen
 Synà                                                develop, form, gather, loom , start, 
Antonymsà                 
Exampleà                     The crisis had been brewing since the start of the year.


. 
4.ERRED < ERD > :: गलती

 [Verb]=formal=past tense
 Meaningà                   be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake
Synà                        Blunder ,make a mistake ,be in wrong, sin
Exampleà              the judge had erred in ruling that the evidence was inadmissible=(Evidence not accepted in court)
Antonymsà              be right, innocent, well behaved

5.Coup d’ etat <KUP /DEE/ TET > :: तख़्ता पलट/ आकास्मिक शासन परिवर्तन
 [Noun] French word
Meaning à             The violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a                   small group
Syn à                       Seizure of power ,coup ,overthrow ,takeover
 Antonymsà          Election
Exampleà                          Revolutionries carried out a  coup d-etat and overthrew the government.


                 
6.TRANSITIONAL <TRAN /JJE/ SHN /AL> < ट्रान/ ज़्जी /शन /अल >::  संक्रमणकालीन(तब तक / बीच का समय /
 [Adjective]
Meaningà                   relating to or characteristic of a process or period of transition=.(period of change/meantime )
Synà                                 Intermediate ,middle ,midway ,intervening ,interposed
Exampleà                    "a transitional government was appointed"

Antonymsà                                tentative, temporary


7. PLOTTERS <PLO /TER/ S > :: षड्यंत्रकारियों
[Noun]=plural
Meaningà             Someone who secretly makes plans to do something illegal or harmful; a conspirator.
Synonymsà          Conspirator ,planner ,intriguer ,schemer , Machiavellian
Exampleà              “The trial of alleged coup plotters" or "The plotters had intended to assassinate the president".
Antonymà             Fans

8.LEGITIMACY  < LAE /JI /TEE /MAE /SI > :: वैधता
[Noun]
Meaning à             Conformity to the law or to rules.
Synà                                    Legality ,rightfulness, ; permissibility, 
Antonymsà            Illegitimacy, unlawfulness, wrongfulness
Exampleà                   Rrefusal to recognize the legitimacy of both governments"
9.BUFFER < B /FR > ::  प्रतिरोधक 

 [Noun]

Meaningà              A person or thing that reduces a shock or that forms a barrier between incompatible or antagonistic people or things.
Synà                                    Barrier ,shield ,absorber ,screen ,safeguard
Exampleà              “family and friends can provide a buffer against stress"
Antonymà                           Expose
10. DYSFUNCTIONAL < DIS /FUN / SH / NAL > :: बेकार
 

 [Adjective]

Meaningà              Not operating normally or properly.
Synà                                   Broken ,defective, unfit ,non-performing ,inhibited
Exampleà              "The telephones are dysfunctional"

Antonymà                          Functional ,operational 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

14 Nov 2017-The Hindu Editorial -Vocabulary

India must balance diverse alliances as it strengthens its East Asia pivot Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Philippines to attend the ASEAN-India summit, the East Asia Summit and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership summit has put India centre-stage in the Asian region now referred to as “Indo-Pacific”. Equally, it puts the “Indo-Pacific” and ties with the U.S. centre-stage in India’s Act East policy, in all three spheres: political, strategic and economic. Mr. Modi’s arrival in Manila was preceded by the first meeting of the India-U.S.-Japan-Australia quadrilateral , a grouping first mooted in 2006 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It ended with statements on cooperation for a “free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region”, a direct signal that it will counter China’s actions in the South China Sea if necessary. Next, Mr. Modi’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump saw a similar emphasis on cooperating in the Indo-Pacific, a term now wi...
Post a Comment
Read more

13 Nov 2017-The Hindu Editorial -Vocabulary

 The turmoil will end only with a full, fair probe into the alleged plot to influence judges There is absolutely no doubt that the Chief Justice of India is the master of the roster . So, it is impossible to dispute the legal reasoning behind Chief Justice Dipak Misra’s ruling that no one but he can decide the composition of Benches and allocation of judicial work in the Supreme Court. However, the circumstances in which he had to assert this authority have the potential to greatly diminish the court’s lustre. The scenes witnessed in the court amidst troubling allegations of possible judicial corruption are worrisome for their capacity to undermine the high esteem that the judiciary enjoys. Chief Justice Misra chose to stick to the letter of the law, but there remain troublesome questions about potential conflict of interest in his decision to overrule Justice J. Chelameswar’s extremely unusual order that delineated the composition of a Constitution Bench to hear a writ petiti...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE HINDU Editorial -Vocabulary- NOVEMBER 8 , 2017

Corporate earnings show a mild recovery, but valuations remain a major concern India Inc.’s earnings performance for the second quarter of the financial year has turned out to be largely in line with street expectations . Both revenue and profits , when compared to the results reported for the first quarter ending June , have shown signs of improvement that suggest a slow but steady pick-up in demand in the wider economy. This is comforting news for many who feared that the twin shocks of demonetization and the hasty implementation of the GST would have significant medium to long-term effects on the economy. The quick rebound in the earnings of corporate India, however, should not come as too much of a surprise. Both demonetization and the introduction of the GST, while definitely disruptive, are transitory in terms of their economic impact. It is also worth noting that most analysts had revised their earnings estimates downwards in the wake of the rapid policy changes. Su...
Post a Comment
Read more