Maravi

'We shall fight and conquer AIDS'

'We shall fight and conquer AIDS'
By Editor
Wednesday May 28, 2008 [04:00]

IN times of difficulty we must not lose sight of our achievements, must see the bright future and must pluck up our courage. A drop of 1.7 per cent in the national average HIV/AIDS prevalence rate may not be something very big but it is something we should be proud of. We may not celebrate over this but it is something that gives us an opportunity to recognise and appreciate the efforts our people and our leaders are making in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

It is an opportunity for us to thank outstanding individuals in this fight. Dr Kenneth Kaunda's contribution and inspiring leadership in this fight cannot be ignored. He has composed songs and has come up with slogans for mobilisation in this fight: "We shall fight and conquer AIDS." He has encouraged in all sorts of ways the children of Africa to rise and shine in this fight.

It is not hard for one to do a bit of good. What is hard is to do good all one's life and never do anything bad, to act consistently in the interests of the broad masses, the young people and the nation, and to engage in arduous struggle for decades on end. That is the hardest thing of all. And this is what Comrade KK has been able to do since the advent of this horrible virus.

We also extend credit to many other outstanding leaders of our communities, of our nation who have devoted a good part of their lives to this fight. And among these we recognise the contribution of first lady Maureen Mwanawasa, Professor Nkandu Luo, Elizabeth Mataka, among others.

Fighting HIV/AIDS is not a small undertaking. It is a very complicated undertaking. In this world, things are complicated and are decided by many factors. And we should therefore look at problems from different aspects, not from just one.

In approaching a problem of this nature and magnitude, we should try to see the whole as well as the parts. A frog in a well says, "The sky is no bigger than the mouth of the well." That is untrue, for the sky is not just the size of the mouth of the well. If it said, "A part of the sky is the size of the mouth of the well", that would be true, for it tallies with the facts.

We must learn to look at problems all sidedly, seeing the reverse as well as the obverse side of things. In given conditions, a bad thing can lead to good results and a good thing to bad results.

In seeking victory, those who direct a war cannot overstep the limitations imposed by objective conditions; within these limitations, however, they can and must play a dynamic role in striving for victory. The stage of action for commanders in a war must be built upon objective possibilities, but on that stage they can direct the performance of many a drama, full of sound and colour, power and grandeur.

People must adapt their thinking to the changed conditions. Of course no one should go off into wild flights of fancy, or make plans of action unwarranted by the objective situations, or stretch for the impossible. The present problem is that many people consider it impossible to accomplish things which could be accomplished if they exerted themselves. Comrade KK sounded like a dreamer when some years ago he proclaimed in a song that "We shall fight and conquer AIDS". As a revolutionary fighter there is no way he can proceed without such optimism, without such faith in our people's ability to wage a victorious struggle against HIV/AIDS.

What we need is an enthusiastic but calm state of mind and intense but orderly work. Leaders must march ahead, and not lag behind.

But this little success in our fight against HIV and AIDS - important as it may be - should not get to our heads.

Even if we achieve gigantic success in our work, there is no reason whatsoever to feel conceited. Modesty helps one to go forward, where as conceit makes one lag behind. This is a truth we must always bear in mind. With the victory, certain moods may grow - arrogance, the airs of a self-styled hero, inertia and unwillingness to make progress. All such moods become encumbrances if there is no critical awareness.

The fight against HIV and AIDS is one of ideas and practices. Many views are expressed on this issue and some of them very incorrect, dangerous and misleading. It is not good to hear incorrect views about HIV and AIDS without rebutting them, but instead to take them calmly as if nothing has happened.

It is wrong to be among the masses and fail to conduct propaganda against HIV and AIDS, and instead to be indifferent about this issue and show no concern for it at all, forgetting that one is a leader and behaving as if one were an ordinary citizen.

It is well known that when you do anything, unless you understand its actual circumstances, its nature and its relations to other things, you will not know the laws governing it, or know how to do it, or be able to do it well. When we look at these HIV and AIDS statistics, we must examine their essence and treat them merely as an usher at the threshold, and once we cross the threshold, we must grasp the essence of these statistics.

Fighting HIV and AIDS will not be an easy thing and we are bound to experience difficulties and setbacks. It is sheer fantasy to imagine that fighting HIV and AIDS will be plain sailing and easy, without difficulties and setbacks or the exertion of tremendous efforts. We must take all this fully into account and be prepared to overcome all difficulties with an indomitable will and in a planned way.

The challenge now in our fight against HIV and AIDS is to move from rhetoric to action, and action at an unprecedented intensity and scale.

We also have to realise that HIV and AIDS cannot be defeated by information alone but by a sound moral formation. This pandemic can only be responded to effectively when we deeply respect the dignity of every woman and man. We need to teach our young people that sexual responsibility is true freedom. The result of solid ethical teaching and courageous moral behaviour.

The catastrophe of HIV and AIDS is a challenge to all of us to join hands and reach out to our sick and dying brothers and sisters. The battle against HIV and AIDS ought to be everyone's battle. If we do not take serious responsibility and personal engagement to stop the spread of this virus, our future is in peril.

We have to struggle without respite and ensure that the rate of prevalence keeps on going down, and going down in an accelerated way. In this way we will be assured of defeating this horrible virus.

Labels: HIV/AIDS

posted by MrK @ 3:23 AM