Candlelight procession in sympathy for AIDS victims

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.