Kalla urges condom use in casual sex

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Semarang/Malang/Medan/Bandung

Vice President Jusuf Kalla has urged men to use condoms during casual sexual intercourse in a bid to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

Kalla made the call during a speech to mark World AIDS Day on Thursday as administrations and health authorities in the regions have been seemingly reluctant to promote the use of condoms among young people, whom activists say are most at risk from HIV/AIDS.

Many believe that officials are afraid to promote condom usage for fear that it will be interpreted by religious leaders as condoning promiscuity.

Experts have said that to curb the spread of AIDS in Asia, courageous governments -- and lots of condoms -- will be crucial.

"This issue must be discussed transparently. Indeed, it is a dilemma as HIV/AIDS prevention is about choosing unpopular alternatives. However, local administrations are not elected just to be popular," said Kalla, who recently managed to persuade Muslim leaders to combat the militant ideas promoted by terrorists.

The visiting executive director of UNAIDS, Peter Piot, earlier this week warned that this country of more than 220 million people was on the brink of a major AIDS epidemic, and that every component of society needed to be active in battling the disease.

Kalla also told regional leaders to be more creative in promoting condom use in order to overcome sensitive moral issues.

"Also urge people to be faithful to their lawful spouses and to avoid sin. But, if people choose to sin (by having casual sex), then use a condom. This is not against the ulema or religious leaders," the vice president stressed.

Kalla said that a campaign promoting the use of clean needles among drug users was also inevitable although it could create the impression that the government was going soft on drugs.

"From the HIV/AIDS prevention point of view, and not from the legal aspect, if you can't rid yourself of the need to inject drugs, then use sterile needles," he said.

According to the health authorities, the main cause of HIV/AIDS infection here is injecting drug use. There are at least 600,000 injecting drugs users (IDUs) across the country, half of whom are believed to be HIV-positive.

The second main cause is unprotected sex. The government estimates the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the country at between 90,000 and 130,000.

"We do not want Indonesia to experience the same thing as in many African countries, where the life expectancy has fallen from 60 to 45," Kalla said.

World AIDS Day was also marked across the country. The health authorities in Medan, North Sumatra, Bandung, West Java, Malang, East Java, and Yogyakarta also stressed that HIV/AIDS was mostly transmitted by sharing needles and unprotected sex.

Kasim Siyo, the director of South Sumatra's Infection and Eradication Unit, said that the spread of HIV/AIDS in his province was primarily due to unprotected sex and syringe sharing among drugs users.

Piot, who warned that Indonesia was on the new frontline of the AIDS epidemic, welcomed Kalla's statement.

"We welcome the expression of commitment by the highest leadership here to preventing HIV/AIDS," he said.

Although saying that the government was "on the right track", Piot warned that "no time should be wasted".

Alwi said that Indonesia would soon start a HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in 100 cities and regencies nationwide.