Nizar slammed over HIV quarantine proposal - NST

Dec 23, 2008 By Suganthi Suparmaniam and Brenda Lim

KUALA LUMPUR: Non-governmental organisations and religious bodies have lashed out at Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin for suggesting that people who are HIV positive be quarantined and not allowed to marry.
Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez said quarantining a HIV positive person was a violation of his or her human rights.

"It is inhumane. Why quarantine? HIV is not like cholera or dengue. The virus can only be transmitted through four ways and controlled through behavioural changes," she said, adding that Nizar lacked awareness on HIV and AIDS.

She said denying a HIV-positive person the chance to marry was also a violation of human rights and those who wanted to marry should instead be counselled on how to manage their marriage.

"This kind of response, after so many years, shows we are still a long way off in giving a more humane and dignified treatment to those with HIV."
Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism president Datuk A. Vaithilingam said he was disappointed with Nizar's statement.

"My advice is for him to visit the Malaysian AIDS Council and spend at least two hours there. Get a good briefing for a better understanding of the disease."

However, the council's Selangor chairman Joseph Thambiah agreed that HIV victims be quarantined -- but only through persuasion.

He said this would reduce the opportunities for contact between sufferers and the public, thus reducing the chances of more infections.

He said AIDS was different from diseases such as diabetes and described it as a "socially contemptuous disease".

Malaysian AIDS Council president Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman described Nizar's comment as "very regretful".

National Council of Women's Organisations deputy president Datuk Ramani Gurusamy said not allowing people with HIV to marry would be to infringe on their human rights.

Pengasih drug rehabilitation centre president Mohd Yunus Pathi said separating people with and without HIV would not solve the problem.

Instead, he said, people with highly contagious diseases like tuberculosis should be the ones who needed to be quarantined.

Perak Umno liaison committee member and Umno Lumut division chairman Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir was aghast with the suggestion.

"How long do you want to quarantine them? For their entire life?"

Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn said Nizar's suggestion would only alienate HIV carriers from society and push them to be secretive about their condition rather than openly seek treatment, thus fuelling the spread of the disease.

"This idea has been condemned internationally and is an unacceptable form of solution to the AIDS problem."

Ipoh City Watch president N. Sreethararaj said individuals who tested positive for HIV should be given counselling and treatment rather than be quarantined.

Screening for HIV would help the government compile a database on those infected with HIV and formulate programmes to handle the disease, such as taking preventive measures in the states most affected by HIV, he said.