Candlelight procession in sympathy for AIDS victims
By Lewa Pardomuan
JAKARTA (JP): You lay on your bed, no more smile on your face, your hair falls. You don't have strength anymore. AIDS, you have taken many victims
Those simple lines were read at the candlelight procession here last month to remember people who have died of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
The procession, held at the compound of the Indonesian Family Planning Association (PKBI) in South Jakarta, was joined by dozens of people from various non-governmental organizations with concerns about AIDS.
The participants came with a single message: that people with AIDS are just like those who suffer from other serious illnesses. They need attention and affection.
The event was part of the 11th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial and Mobilization to remember those who have died of the syndrome.
During the procession initiated by IPOOS, a support organization for gay men, the participants also shared ideas among themselves about losing loved ones to the disease.
"I lost a good friend of mine in 1984," said Marcel Latuihamallo, IPOOS deputy chairman. "Many of our friends suffer from AIDS. This serves as a strong drive for us to fight the syndrome," he added.
The candlelight procession started in a darkened room with the participants quietly singing That's What Friends Are For, which speaks of friendship and solidarity.
As people have gained more knowledge of the spread of AIDS and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes the syndrome, they have started to view those suffering from the syndrome and the virus with more compassion.
In the early years of the discovery of AIDS, those dying of the syndrome were probably the most unfortunate people on earth.
They were isolated from their families during their suffering and then labeled as the sinful when they died. AIDS has been described by many as the syndrome experienced by people with low moral values.
The emotional problems -- the disappearance of hope and the guilty feelings felt by AIDS patients -- are often seen as a natural consequences of their lifestyles by their immediate community, even by family members.
Ignorance
PKBI chairman Kartono Mohamad, who attended the procession, acknowledged that unlike those who die of other serious illnesses, in many cases, those who die of AIDS are cursed and treated like criminals.
"People feel pity for sufferers of other ailments, but not for those with AIDS," he said.
Kartono said that many people have died of AIDS because of their ignorance of the syndrome. This problem was especially apparent during the early years of the discovery of AIDS.
"Hatred accompanied the people who died of AIDS," he said.
He believes that people who die of the syndrome are not necessarily the victims of their own mistakes. "We might have been ignorant for not telling them to protect themselves," he said.
Kartono said obstacles that hamper the efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS usually come from the public due to their ignorance about the virus and the syndrome. The government, on the other hand, is still not in full swing to fight the HIV virus, he added.
"AIDS is not caused by a curse," he said, adding that babies can also be infected with the virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the number of AIDS cases at 2.5 million people throughout the world. AIDS in the World, Global Report, issued in 1992, indicated that 4,693,500 adults will have died of AIDS by 1995.
Marcel said that the candlelight procession began in San Francisco in the United States 11 years ago, initiated by gay men living there. The movement eventually spread to the rest of the globe, after it was discovered that HIV and AIDS are not exclusively acquired by gays, he added.
Marcel said he hopes in the future, such processions will be organized by other groups in Indonesia.
"We want to avoid the impression that AIDS is a problem only for gays," he explained.