Kalla urges condom use in casual sex

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.