Global AIDS - Papua New Guinea
WWIII ready to invade PNG
Editorial- 'The National', February 24, 2005
IT is somethinhg of a relief to read no less than three stories in yesterday's edition of The National that target the alarming growth of HIV/AIDS in the Defence Force.
Minister Gubag has spoken of the latest infection figures in the Force as "scary," and while we might quarrel with the description, the Minister's reaction is both timely and commendable.
The Defence Force Chief of Staff appears even more realistic in his assessment, describing HIV/AIDS as the greatest enemy facing Papua New Guinea. It is that, and more.
It is the military forces of the world that have exceptionally high levels of HIV/AIDS infection. That can be no surprise - the life of a soldier, an airman, or a sailor often requires abstinence from mixing with the opposite sex. Leave and days off provide a perfect opportunity for these men to rectify their isolation, and throughout history, members of the armed forces have availed themselves of that chance.
Unfortunately, such opportunities today come coupled with the very real bonus of HIV/AIDS infection. It is appropriate for our senior military personnel to emphasise that the country requires a healthy Force to combat any outside enemy.
However, what seemed to be missing from the reactions of the senior officers, and from the statement of the Minister, was the recognition that the Defence Force is in a unique position to fight HIV/AIDS.
Colonel Tom came closest when he pictured the disease as PNG's greatest contemporary enemy. It is no big step to see the PNG Defence Force as the ideal body to fight HIV/AIDS, not only within its own ranks, but in the broader community.
The prime reason for the existence of an army is to protect a nation against attack by foreign forces. HIV/AIDS is just such a "foreign force," an alien illness that is fast fulfilling its potential to destroy PNG.
This newspaper has been in the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS for a decade, virtually the full life of The National. We have repeatedly editorialised about HIV/AIDS, familiarised our reporters with the necessary skills to cover the subject, supported to the limits of our ability those who have dedicated their lives to this battle, and done what we can to ease the incredible burdens of those suffering from the disease.
Now we, and the many other organisations that have fought side by side with us, need the full support of the whole community - every able-bodied man, woman and teenager in the country.
That includes the PNG Defence Force - and we might add, the RPNG Constabulary, the Correctional Services, and every other disciplined body within PNG. Only by marshalling a co-ordinated defence can we hope to win this war, one in which the casualties could easily outnumber those suffered in any conventional clash.
We want to ring the alarm bells loudly and long. We want to ensure that every corner of our homeland is fully aware of the monstrous force poised to attack our way of life, and reduce PNG to an empty shell.
| The time for mincing words over HIV/AIDS, the time for polite and moderate conversations over a cup of tea and a biscuit, have very definitely passed. If we fail to answer the challenge posed by HIV/AIDS today, we will not have the chance to do so tomorrow.
For by tomorrow, we will be so weakened and so debilitated as a nation, that resistance will become impossible. For some years, the point has been made over and over again that just such a deadly scenario has already erupted in Africa, in India, and in many other third world developing countries. |
There are far too many "educated" people who continue to believe that this country and its people will somehow or other remain immune to the ravages of HIV/AIDS. We must eliminate that wicked and misleading fiction. And we must do everything we can to fight and win this war.
|
