BENNETT. all of this is being done in preparation for the comfort and satisfaction of some visitor or the other

HYACINTH Bennett, former president of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) and founder of the Hydel Group of Schools, has blasted government for not providing free antiretroviral drugs and accompanying vitamins to people infected with the HIV virus.

She argued that instead of charging $1,000 per month for antiretroviral drugs - a sum which many people are unable to afford - government ought to divert some of the money it spends on providing 'handouts' to potential voters to the drug programme for people living with HIV/AIDS.

"It is well known that able-bodied potential voters hardly fail to receive, from politicians, handouts of chickens, curry goat, zinc, Heineken, bags of fertilisers, big-breed goats and often raw hot cash as pre-payment for votes," Bennett said.

"Why then can't unemployed persons living with HIV/AIDS be given free of cost the ARV drugs and the accompanying vitamins?" Bennett asked. She was addressing the launch of the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) manual for empowering women to protect themselves from the disease on Monday.

She also argued that Jamaica's progress as a nation ought not to be assessed solely by the "splendour" of highways, number of new hotels, reported surge in visitor arrivals, or the staging of Cricket World Cup.

In fact, Bennett likened Jamaica's preparation for Cricket World Cup to the deeply entrenched practice by some people who only "clean and scrub" when they expect visitors, for whom they also lay out the "best china and bed linen never before used by members of the households".

Added Bennett: "All of this is being done in preparation for the comfort and satisfaction of some visitor or the other."

Instead, she said the progress of the nation must be judged by the well-being of all people, including their quality of health, education, nutrition and the extent to which they have access to timely and relevant information.

In addition, Bennett pointed out that while some Jamaicans believe Ainsley Reid and Aneisha Taylor - two people living with HIV who came forward to tell their stories - are living a seemingly glorious life, the two are not truly representative of the 25,000 people living with the disease.

Concerns, Bennett said, must also be raised about the discrimination meted out by some health workers "who were trained at taxpayers' expense" to people living with HIV/AIDS.

"Let's assign to the scrap heap of history, the old, uncaring, insensitive ways in which we relate to the AIDS pandemic and to persons living with the disease," she said.

In the same breath, she called on people living with the disease to join forces in sending the message that those who are sexually active must take responsibility for their actions and health.

"I implore you to join the education thrust and to help families where HIV/AIDS has struck, to speak the truth, because truth-speaking is likely to strengthen and deepen the resolve of others in their bid to elude HIV/AIDS," she said.

And even as Bennett gave her commitment to the fight against the disease she announced her intention to extend the present Hydel-based HIV/AIDS programmes to increase awareness among all students, staff and parents. .

But Bennett was not through taking the government to task, as she wondered when political leaders would play their part in the fight against the disease.

"When will our political leaders take a break from their political campaign in their quest of the power and the glory, and raise their voices on radio, television, press conferences and do their part to tame the rampant spread of AIDS?" she said.

She also questioned how soon church leaders, education leaders business and community leaders, entertainers and media practitioners would join or initiate a national campaign to demand appropriate public policies.

She called on the government to provide laws and regulations to apply, for example, to workers living with the disease.

"Laws and regulations which should be no less favourable than those for other workers with other serious illnesses," Bennett said.

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