Re: Marginalisation of PLWHAs in Manipur

[Guest guest]

Respected Forum members,

I am a keen observer of HIV/AIDS and their dimensions in the north-east,

particularly Manipur. To be honest, all my experience in the field is credited

to the state of Manipur to a great extent. The unique and typical happenings in

Manipur always refresh, rather I should say enrich my knowledge.

The recent topic in our forum " The marginalisation of PLWHA by ‘so-called’

professional NGOs " is not an exception. More so, the recent topic is significant

for 2 (two) reasons in the context of HIV/AIDS scenario at the national and

global level – this fascination itself makes me write this posting.

First reason is: anything which comes up from the state is controversial. I am

not saying it out of frustration or from the viewpoint that they should not be

controversial. My sincere assertion is that, as we all know Manipur today is at

the advance stage of HIV/AIDS; here I am not talking of the HIV prevalence, but

the advance in terms of the responses undertaken by its fine people.

In most states, while people are beginning to talk about initiating groups of

PLWHA, Manipur is far ahead in the area that the PLWHA of Manipur have

successfully expanded a network at the regional level, then to INP+ and now,

encouragingly, they are making efforts to strengthen GIPA. When, people are

talking of developing peer counsellors, Manipur had produced so many peer

counsellors.

So, in such a place where the HIV/AIDS issue is fought from different fronts;

where conflict of interest and differences of ideologies are day-to-day matter;

where resource is scarce and problem is manifold; where people know their

rights - it is inevitable that controversies will prop up from time to time.

We should not be critical but be welcoming of these controversies as they are

the turning points from where we must relearn as these ‘controversies’ help us

in keeping our responses in the right tract. Mr. Marak might have been right to

say that discrimination of PLWHA by professional NGOs occur everywhere. If that

is the case Mr. Marak will also accept that the recent incident in Manipur is

one of them which can give us an insight.

Second reason is: It may be reminded that the core issue of the topic is

" Discrimination " but from a different dimension – a discrimination from within.

North-easterners are not new to such experiences. The people have been fighting

tooth and nails when their rights are violated by the security personnel who are

supposed to safeguard the rights.

It is eye-opening, rather encouraging when a small group of PLWHA namely ‘You

and I’, raised a similar issue. It is understandable that in the present

scenario of high political gamut and under the long-reaching arms of some of the

leading, rather powerful NGOs, the Self Help Group might have exposed itself,

knowingly or unknowingly, to a high risk of submergence by disclosing the ‘the

discrimination within’.

When the group is submerged, a ray of hope of a group of PLWHA is vanished. But

the question is, ‘Is it whose loss?’, ‘Is it only for You and I or only for

some PLWHA or for the people of Manipur?’ ‘Convergence’ or ‘Concerted effort’ or

‘Mainstreaming’ has become a fashion and a cup of coffee on the table of 5-star

workshops and conferences.

Why not a convergence here when a small group is reaching its hand out and

trying to get hold of a rope of hope? It is also understandable. Here I would

like to give my sincerest gratitude to Mr. Marak’s liberty of giving opinion,

but may I recall your ironic lines, sir, " these people are pampered…..and spit

venom back… " .

To my limited understanding, what you were trying to mean is, " PLWHA always take

advantage and ultimately spit venoms back when the support is stopped. " If my

understanding is right, I would like to ask Mr. Marak: " Had we ever given any

significant opportunity to PLWHA which can be taken advantage of? and; " Is it

not utterly unfair to speak of ‘venom’ without carefully looking into the fact

that the office of the You and I had been ransacked before the eyes of local

people? " Here, I may support the suggestion of our moderator that we should take

maximum care to maintain the civility and decorum of the forum in this process

of idea-sharing and learning.

The chief functionary of the Galaxy Club is one of the five-star workshop

acquaintances during my career. When I brought up the issue of ‘excluding

ex-drug users’ from the making of Manipur State drug Policy which appeared in

this forum few months back, He vehemently said that those are manipulative

behaviour of drug users.

Keeping aside the ‘manipulative behaviour’ we learnt from the general notions,

the core issue a real professional should not forget is, in Manipur the users’

groups are a force to be reckoned with and so are the PLWHA. They are educated,

trained, well exposed, organized and above all, whether the ‘powerful NGOs’ like

it or not, they know their rights. So, it was within the reach of my limited

knowledge and experience to draw upon a conclusion from the words he said, that

there will be tug of war time and again between the so called professionals and

the infected/affected groups who are aware now that their rights had been

deprived.

It will be for the good of the state, and a wish from the people who are keenly

watching the developments in the state is, these so called professionals will

not only talk of changing others’ attitude but their attitudes as well towards

the user population and the PLWHA. I hope this message reaches all the concerned

persons including RRTC, which remains avoiding the notice of the issue.

Members of e FORUM enjoys the privilege which even our

Parliamentarians don’t, that the MPs are bound to make a statement in the

parliament whenever their business is in question.

At your service,

ICS Aggarwal

New Delhi

e-MAIL: <ics_aggarwal@...>