NACP III - will it be a Peoples' program?

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum

When NACP III is in the pipeline to celebrate its gala launching in 2006 as the

largest AIDS control program of the world I have reservations to substantiate

the new program to be the ‘Program of the People by the People with the People’

after making some crucial observations at its present development processes.

I can foresee NACP III to produce similar kind of controversial outcomes like

the number juggling debates created by NACP II over its sentinel surveillance

reports. This process will continue till the end of another decade before we

realize it to be too late to reciprocate.

It is terribly amazing that the whole designing mechanism of NACP III is taking

place without any trace of a single representative of the target community

constituting CSWs, MSMs and IDUs. Bigger surprise is, despite the country houses

a good number of active and hyper active peoples’ networks and organizations

none of them has raised their voices against such discrimination leading to

complete avoidance of the peoples’ participation during NACP III planning.

It further indicates the next phase of the program is going to become another

fruitless product of the malfunctioning cerebral devices of the same old bunches

of technocrats and bureaucrats who are, literally millions of light years away

from the ground realities and priorities and often being dictated by terms and

conditions laid down by the big international ‘Dadas and Datas’.

The tragedy of the whole story is the so called human activists and radical

humanists who claim them to be the hard core peoples’ advocates and

simultaneously flex muscle with the powerful policy makers and brokers, till

now, have tactfully demonstrated complete silence on this burning issue.

I feel ashamed when I see the same section of activists move around the world

(huge cost implications) with a big mouth to tell the rest of the world

heartbreaking anecdotes of miseries, agonies and exploitation of the

marginalized people. It is the same group of development professionals who are

thoroughly skilled in making huge hue and cry at national and international

forums to mainstream the marginalized with proper restoration of their social

and legal right.

But the same humanist groups delicately ignore all possibilities of bringing the

peoples’ groups on board while participating in the designing process of NACP

III. Do they feel utterly insecure in sharing chairs with the peoples’

representatives as it may grossly hamper their beautiful interest and intention

in future?

Don’t you think it a kind of loathsome hypocrisy in the name of service to the

people?

The National AIDS program will never be a success unless and until it reflects

the need and aspiration of the CSWs, MSMs, IDUs and PLWHA and ensures their

active participation in its planning exercises.

Luckily it is not happening.

Otherwise opportunity driven development professionals would have thrived for

different livelihood options.

In Solidarity

Nilim Gera

E-mail: <nilim_g4@...>