 | ■ International
Remembering the revolution
紀念革命
Forty years after dictatorship ended, Portuguese feel their rights are being 'confiscated'
獨裁統治結束四十年後，葡萄牙人覺得自己的權益遭「沒收」 |
| Euphoria gripped Portugal during the 1974 Carnation Revolution, when junior army officers swept away a four-decade dictatorship. The almost bloodless coup brought what for the Portuguese were novelties — the right to vote, universal health care, public education, old-age pensions and labor rights. | 興奮的情緒在一九七四年康乃馨革命期間席捲全葡萄牙，當時該國中下階層的陸軍軍官讓四十年的獨裁統治落幕。這場幾乎沒流血的政變，為葡萄牙人帶來了新奇的事物：投票權、全民健保、 公立教育、老人年金，以及勞工權益。 |
| On the coup's 40th anniversary on April 25, however, the prevailing mood among the Portuguese was anger at how their government is now stripping away those cherished entitlements amid a financial crisis. "Many people are feeling very cheated," said Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, a former army captain who masterminded the pre-dawn military takeover. "It's like signing the death warrant of the hopes and values of (the revolution)." | 不過，在這場發生於四月廿五日政變的四十週年紀念日當天，葡萄人之間的普遍情緒，卻是對政府在當前的金融危機之際，如何剝奪他們所珍惜的那些應得權利而感到的憤怒。 策劃這場黎明前軍事政變的前陸軍上尉歐泰羅薩萊瓦狄卡瓦洛表示：「許多人覺得深受欺騙，這就像是簽署（康乃馨）革命希望與價值的死刑執行令。」 |
| April 25, an annual public holiday, this year provided a lightning rod for those keen to voice their discontent at austerity measures. Portugal, like Greece and Ireland, had to ask for an international bailout in 2011, needing 78 billion euros (approximately NT$3.2 trillion) to avoid bankruptcy. It became a ward of foreign creditors, who have compelled the country of 10.5 million people to slash spending. | 在定為年度國定假日的四月廿五日，今年給了那些想表達對撙節措施不滿的人，充分的抨擊理由。與希臘和愛爾蘭一樣，葡萄牙二○一一年被迫 向國際社會請求紓困，並需要七百八十億歐元（約新台幣三兆兩千億元）才能避免破產。該國成了國際債權人的庇護所，使得這個總人口一千零五十萬人的國家被迫刪減支出。 |
| The Carnation Revolution, which saw a million people fill the streets in a mass celebration, is regarded as one of the most glorious moments of Portugal's 20th century history. It is named for the red flowers — in season and plentiful at the time — which people stuck in the barrels of soldiers' rifles on that landmark day. | 讓上百萬人湧入街頭集體慶祝的康乃馨革命，被視為葡萄牙廿世紀最光榮的時刻之一。在這場以當時盛開且眾多的紅花命名的政變中，人們在這個歷史性的日子把這種花插入士兵步槍的槍管中。 |
| For most Portuguese under 50 years old, the revolution is a milestone they learned about at school. But with youth unemployment at 35 percent, the anniversary struck a chord with many young people. Nationwide commemorations included dozens of protests. Miguel Januario, a 33-year-old street artist, said he held dear the changes brought by an event he didn't live through, "but since then we've allowed new forms of dictatorship — in this case financial — to take over." | 對大數五十歲以下的葡萄人來說，這場革命是他們在學校學到的里程碑。不過在青年失業率高達三成五的情況下，這個紀念日引起了許多年輕人的共鳴。全國進行的紀念儀式包括了數十場的示威。卅三歲的街頭藝術家米蓋爾華納里歐表示，他十分珍惜這場他並未親身經歷的事件所帶來的轉變，「可是自此以後，我們已經讓新型態的『獨裁政權』（即金融獨裁者）接掌大權 了。」 |
| Budget cuts have forced the closure of local health centers. The government has cut the salaries of civil servants, lowered old-age pensions, and introduced what the finance minister conceded was a "brutal" increase in income tax. Meanwhile, unemployment reached a record 17.7 percent last year, though it has now slipped back to 15.3 percent. The scrapping of rent controls — another bailout demand — has left many in danger of losing their homes. Conceicao Pequito, a researcher at the University Institute of Lisbon, said people feel that their rights have been "confiscated." "There's a lot of pessimism about what living in a democracy means these days," she said. | 預算刪減迫使葡萄牙政府關閉國內的健保中心。政府已給公務員減薪、調降了老人年金，並採行了財政部長坦承是「嚴苛」的所得稅增稅措施。與此同時，去年的失業率創下了百分之十七點七的歷史新高，不過之後下降為百分之十五點三。房租管制措施的廢除（另一項紓困 條件），導致多人有失去自己房子的風險。里斯本大學機構研究人員康希考皮奎托表示，人們覺得自己的權益被「沒收」了。她表示：「現在生活在民主體制下，有許多悲觀的意義。」 |
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