Govt enlists Moslem leaders in anti-AIDS drive

Govt enlists Moslem leaders in anti-AIDS drive

JAKARTA (JP): The government urged Moslem leaders yesterday to
join its campaign to stem the spread of the Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) yesterday.

Acknowledging the contribution of ulemas to the National
Family Planning Campaign, senior government officials asked them
once again to use their influence and power to prevent an AIDS
catastrophe in the country.

"We'd like to ask the ulemas to help promote the concept of an
`AIDS Conscious Prosperous Moslem Family' by taking the lead in
the movement," State Minister for Population, Haryono Suyono, who
is chairman of the National Family Planning Board, said during a
meeting with ulemas to discuss the anti-AIDS campaign.

"We'd like to ask the ulemas to draft programs appropriate to
making Indonesian families aware of the dangers of AIDS," he
said.

He added that the ulemas' endorsement of the national family
planning program was pivotal in its the success at bringing
Indonesia's population growth under control over the last 25
years.

The government's commission to prevent the spread of AIDS,
which is chaired by Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare
Azwar Anas, has determined that the anti-AIDS awareness campaign
should begin with families.

Haryono disclosed that a national anti-AIDS movement will be
launched by President Soeharto on June 29.

He said that Indonesia has to act now, because as in the rest
of the world, AIDS is spreading rapidly in Indonesia.

Minister Azwar Anas, in a written speech read by an aide,
underlined the fact that AIDS is more than simply a health
problem and that its prevention also requires non-medical
approaches.

This is where religion can contribute, Azwar said.

"Religious leaders can bring people to the realization of the
dangers of AIDS and that each and every family member must lead
their life in accordance to religious principles," he said.

Azwar said AIDS has been spreading exponentially in Indonesia,
starting with the first discovery of an AIDS victim in 1987. Up
to Jan. 31 this year, there have been 280 people testing positive
for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which causes AIDS.

"Without any intervention, there will be 300,000 people
infected with AIDS by 1996 and 2.5 million by the year 2000," the
minister said.

"The consequence of AIDS is a major catastrophe because it
will lead to poverty and destruction and failure in national
development," he added.

The minister said that based on a United Nations' estimate,
the direct cost of treating an AIDS patient is US$1,491 a year,
while the indirect costs, including loss of earnings, reach
$14,680 a patient a year. With these figures as a basis, he
calculated that the total AIDS bill for Indonesia in 1999 will be
$2 billion if the number of HIV positive people is 300,000.

If AIDS spreads to affect 2.5 million people, this bill will
reach the enormous sum of $16 billion.

Given that one of the ways AIDS spreads is through sexual
contacts, then religious leaders could hammer home the message of
the importance of maintaining a proper sex life, Azwar said.

"Given that the family is the first and foremost institution
in forming people's attitudes and behaviors, then the family
could become a strong means to prevent deviation, including in
sexual matters," he said. "The family has to be able to instill
religious and traditional national values."

Responding to the call, Ali Yafie, the deputy chairman of the
Indonesian Ulemas Council, said the Moslem scholars are ready to
join hands with the government in the anti-AIDS movement.

"We're called to immediately join in this movement to save
mankind and safeguard its future," Yafie told the meeting.

"In facing this latent danger of AIDS, we need a national
movement and a massive campaign involving ulemas and umara
(government leaders) to make people aware of the dangers of AIDS
as early as possible," he said.

"We need to disseminate information as widely as possible so
that every layer of society knows of the calamity threatening us.
Religious life must be invigorated so that people return to their
faith and carry out their duties accordingly to protect
themselves and their families from the dangers of AIDS."

On sexual behavior, he said the Islamic religion teaches that
sexual relations should exist only between two people bound by
marriage. This is the correct, moral and respected way, which
also ensures the safety of the family, he added. (29)