Oleh/By : DATO SERI DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SHANGRILA HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 05/10/2002
Tajuk/Title : THE RED RIBBON GALA 2002
Versi : ENGLISH
Penyampai : PM
I would like to congratulate the Malaysian AIDS
Council on its 10th Anniversary this year, and the
launch of its year-long fund raising campaign, " In the
Name of Love".
2. In the past ten years, the number of people
infected with HIV in Malaysia has risen from about 5,000
reported cases in 1992 to more than 45,000 in 2002.
Last year alone, almost 6,000 new people were found to
be infected. Clearly the prevention efforts made thus
far have not been as effective as we would like. We
should perhaps study what has worked elsewhere and adapt
them here and discard what has not worked.
3. In addition, more than 4000 people have died of
AIDS-related causes, leaving behind widows and orphaned
children who face bleak futures due to the stigma
attached to them. Some of these deaths were
unnecessarily hastened because of lack of knowledge
about available treatments and the unaffordable cost of
treatment.
4. Treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS has
become an increasingly serious and urgent issue because
with 40 million people infected with HIV, the impact on
countries of their illness and deaths will be
devastating. The issue of treatment has illuminated very
starkly the harsh realities of the world today, where
the haves in the North are able to survive while the
have-nots in the South perish. This inequality must be
righted.
5. I am pleased to see that all over the developing
world, governments and NGOs have stood side by side to
advocate for fairness in the issue of drug pricing so
that the large majority of the world's HIV-infected
people will have access to treatment. We are looking at
all possibilities to make these medicines available to
the poorest of the poor, from negotiating with the
pharmaceutical companies to reduce prices, to invoking
our rights to compulsory licencing and parallel
importing. Some people may not like our doing this,
saying that we are not respecting intellectual property
rights. But surely our people's lives are more important
than huge profits for already rich companies.
6. I understand that the theme for this year's World
AIDS Campaign is Stigma and Discrimination. The fact
that a campaign theme such as this is necessary is an
indictment of humankind, because such attitudes are the
result of ignorance, fear and denial. In Malaysia I have
been told these attitudes still exist and result in
people with HIV/AIDS being thrown out of work, HIV-
positive babies being refused shelter and some people
being denied treatment or neglected. In our hopes to
build a caring society by 2020, we need to examine such
negative attitudes and make every effort to eliminate
them. We must understand that such prejudices say more
about ourselves than about those we discriminate
against.
7. Last year the ten Heads of ASEAN governments issued
an ASEAN Declaration on HIV/AIDS. This event was a
significant one not only because it was the first time
that the Heads of Government had discussed an issue such
as this but also the first time that NGOs have been
involved in the process towards the Declaration. In the
process both sides have realised the need to work
together on this common problem, to complement each
other in order to implement a more holistic approach to
prevention, treatment, care and support.
8. Here in Malaysia, the government acknowledges the
role that NGOs are playing in the fight against this
epidemic. We realise that in some areas, the government
has limited effectiveness and only NGOs have access to
those vulnerable groups at the grassroot levels. However
we support NGOs by providing funding and I am happy to
reiterate an earlier announcement that the government
has agreed to provide RM40 million over the next ten
years to the Malaysian AIDS Council to run the
programmes of its 37 affiliates.
9. Money may help but it is not everything. To truly
combat this epidemic and prevent its negative social and
economic impact, every member of society must play its
part. It is not just up to doctors, policymakers and
NGOs only because AIDS affects all of us in one way or
another. Therefore I am pleased to see the turnout
tonight and to see that the private sector is also
playing its part by supporting this cause. I would
especially like to commend Petronas, DRB-HICOM and
Telekom Malaysia for their generosity.
10. My congratulations once again to the Malaysian AIDS
Council and Foundation and wish you greater strength and
commitment in order to alleviate the impact of this
terrible epidemic on our country. I hope that in 10
years' time we will be able to congratulate ourselves on
a job well done, where our efforts have paid off in
saving the lives of Malaysians so that we may all be
able to enjoy our Vision 2020 together.
Sumber : Pejabat Perdana Menteri
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