Candlelight procession in sympathy for AIDS victims<\/p>\n
By Lewa Pardomuan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): You lay on your bed, no more smile on your face,
\nyour hair falls. You don't have strength anymore. AIDS, you have
\ntaken many victims<\/p>\n
Those simple lines were read at the candlelight procession
\nhere last month to remember people who have died of the Acquired
\nImmune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).<\/p>\n
The procession, held at the compound of the Indonesian Family
\nPlanning Association (PKBI) in South Jakarta, was joined by
\ndozens of people from various non-governmental organizations with
\nconcerns about AIDS.<\/p>\n
The participants came with a single message: that people with
\nAIDS are just like those who suffer from other serious illnesses.
\nThey need attention and affection.<\/p>\n
The event was part of the 11th International AIDS Candlelight
\nMemorial and Mobilization to remember those who have died of the
\nsyndrome.<\/p>\n
During the procession initiated by IPOOS, a support
\norganization for gay men, the participants also shared ideas
\namong themselves about losing loved ones to the disease.<\/p>\n
\"I lost a good friend of mine in 1984,\" said Marcel
\nLatuihamallo, IPOOS deputy chairman. \"Many of our friends suffer
\nfrom AIDS. This serves as a strong drive for us to fight the
\nsyndrome,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The candlelight procession started in a darkened room with the
\nparticipants quietly singing That's What Friends Are For, which
\nspeaks of friendship and solidarity.<\/p>\n
As people have gained more knowledge of the spread of AIDS and
\nthe Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes the
\nsyndrome, they have started to view those suffering from the
\nsyndrome and the virus with more compassion.<\/p>\n
In the early years of the discovery of AIDS, those dying of
\nthe syndrome were probably the most unfortunate people on earth.<\/p>\n
They were isolated from their families during their suffering
\nand then labeled as the sinful when they died. AIDS has been
\ndescribed by many as the syndrome experienced by people with low
\nmoral values.<\/p>\n
The emotional problems -- the disappearance of hope and the
\nguilty feelings felt by AIDS patients -- are often seen as a
\nnatural consequences of their lifestyles by their immediate
\ncommunity, even by family members.<\/p>\n
Ignorance<\/p>\n
PKBI chairman Kartono Mohamad, who attended the procession,
\nacknowledged that unlike those who die of other serious
\nillnesses, in many cases, those who die of AIDS are cursed and
\ntreated like criminals.<\/p>\n
\"People feel pity for sufferers of other ailments, but not for
\nthose with AIDS,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Kartono said that many people have died of AIDS because of
\ntheir ignorance of the syndrome. This problem was especially
\napparent during the early years of the discovery of AIDS.<\/p>\n
\"Hatred accompanied the people who died of AIDS,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He believes that people who die of the syndrome are not
\nnecessarily the victims of their own mistakes. \"We might have
\nbeen ignorant for not telling them to protect themselves,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Kartono said obstacles that hamper the efforts to prevent the
\nspread of HIV and AIDS usually come from the public due to their
\nignorance about the virus and the syndrome. The government, on
\nthe other hand, is still not in full swing to fight the HIV
\nvirus, he added.<\/p>\n
\"AIDS is not caused by a curse,\" he said, adding that babies
\ncan also be infected with the virus.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the number of
\nAIDS cases at 2.5 million people throughout the world. AIDS in
\nthe World, Global Report, issued in 1992, indicated that
\n4,693,500 adults will have died of AIDS by 1995.<\/p>\n
Marcel said that the candlelight procession began in San
\nFrancisco in the United States 11 years ago, initiated by gay men
\nliving there. The movement eventually spread to the rest of the
\nglobe, after it was discovered that HIV and AIDS are not
\nexclusively acquired by gays, he added.<\/p>\n
Marcel said he hopes in the future, such processions will be
\norganized by other groups in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We want to avoid the impression that AIDS is a problem only
\nfor gays,\" he explained.<\/p>",
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