STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, April 19 2000

"The President's apparent refusal to accept the mainstream scientific view that HIV causes AIDS" - Mr Ellis

Madam Speaker
Honourable Members

As you are aware, there are reports that indicate that Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for two thirds of the world incident of HIV/AIDS. It has also been reported that millions of Africans have died of AIDS with even larger numbers destined to die. It is within this context that we consider today's debate to be very important.

This indeed reflects the seriousness with which we regard this topic. It is however regretful that the manner in which the topic is phrased is based on wrong assumptions and not on 'fact'.

Neither the President nor the rest of our government has made any determination whatsoever that would pre-judge the conclusions of whatever scientific investigation is happening on HIV/AIDS. Accordingly, at no point has the President said that he challenges the view that HIV causes AIDS, or the contrary.

All he has said is that there are many issues that are in contention with regard to the matter and that we need to hear what all the scientists say to ensure that we respond correctly to the frightening and pressing challenge of HIV/AIDS.

The President, as the head of state, needs to take informed decisions on all questions that affect the lives of all our people. He is adopting this position with respect to the matter of HIV/AIDS. During the last decade and a half and more, a heated debate amongst scientists and others relating to this question, has been going on.

As the President said in his address to the NCOP last year, a lot of literature has been generated by this debate.

We re-iterate his challenge to the Honourable Members to acquaint themselves with that literature.

As part of government's effort to respond to this catastrophe correctly, we decided to familiarise ourselves, as extensively as possible, with all matters relating to this pandemic. We came to the conclusion that no scientist or group of scientists can claim a monopoly on all knowledge regarding this particular matter.

Our view is that it is fundamentally wrong to accept the notion that established mainstream scientific truths must not be questioned. All views on HIV/AIDS should be interrogated as part of the process of scientific inquiry and as an attempt to find answers that will enable us to prevail over this disease.

We should not, and we will not leave any stone unturned, even if this means including the views of the so-called 'dissidents'. It should be remembered that throughout the years, alternative arguments were defined as dissident views, sometimes even as heresy- but in the fullness of time, those views were often proven to be scientifically correct.

In Europe in the Seventeenth Century, the main stream scientific view was that the sun moved around the earth. An Italian scientist Galilei Galileo had a different view and believed that the earth moved around the sun. However his views were considered to be so threatening to the scientific establishment that he was forced to publicly recant. As we all know today, he was right and they were wrong.

In the history of science and in particular the history of medical science, there are other examples where solutions were found to difficult challenges as a result of robust scientific debate between conventional and alternative views.

This House, which is based on the fundamental principle of the right to differ and to express a different opinion, ought not to balk at the idea that the President is asking scientists to behave as scientists.

I would like to refer to a letter written to the President by ACTUP San Francisco, one of the HIV/AIDS NGO's in the United States. They state that their organisation has been denied the opportunity to exhibit at the 13th International Aids Conference hosted by South Africa.

In their letter to the President they say, "For the past decade in San Francisco, we have witnesses the distraction of human life caused by Aids drugs. We hoped, by exhibiting at the conference we would warn participants to prevent a similar catastrophe from occurring in their countries. Unfortunately, our voice has been silenced by organisers who have ironically chosen the theme of "BREAK THE SILENCE".

What they are saying is that they are committed to open scientific debate and the free exchange of ideas.

Madam speaker, the ANC's political programme is the main stream political view in this country. However, it would be wrong in the extreme to brand and therefore shut out all other political programmes as 'dissident views'.

The Democratic Party is a minority party that represents less than 10% of the voters of our country. But this party, like all other minority parties in this House, has a programme that appeals to some South Africans. They have a right to have their views represented and heard that is enshrined in our constitution.

Broadening the debate on HIV/AIDS has not stopped government from addressing the pandemic in accordance with the mainstream scientific view. All existing programmes are continuing and new ones are being developed.

A Ministerial Task Force against HIV/AIDS chaired by the Deputy President has been established and meets monthly. We have also established the South African National Aids Council (SANAC), which also meets monthly and is chaired by the Deputy President. This forum brings together the government and civil society.

Sectors that are represented in SANAC include; youth, women, business, labour unions, religious communities, traditional leaders, traditional healers, people living with HIV, NGO's, the hospitality sector, sports, local government, national government ministers and the media.

SANAC Technical Task Teams have been appointed to address the following priority areas: (i) Prevention, (ii) Treatment, Care and Support, (iii) Research, Monitoring and Surveillance, (iv) Legal and Human Rights, and (v) Social Mobilisation, Information, Education and Communication.

We are doing everything we can to increase the level of public awareness about the importance of safe sex and the use of condoms. Whatever the outcome of the search by scientists for answers to the pandemic, clearly, sexually transmitted diseases are an important part of the element, which results in the acquisition in immune deficiency, and therefore the inability of the human body to cope with various infections. Work is also being done on the development of a vaccine.

As members will recall, we presented to Parliament this year a dedicated budget to fight HIV/AIDS and trust that this house will support the allocation of these funds to fight this pandemic. Indeed we are doing all we can in the fight against AIDS.

But suppose we discover, as Galileo did, that the so-called main stream scientific view is incorrect. Suppose there was even a one percent chance that the solution lay elsewhere. Surely the consequences for all of us would be catastrophic.

As a country, we cannot afford to overlook this possibility. In the light of this, an international panel of scientists will be convened next month and will be expected to openly and candidly, discuss all the matters in contention. This panel includes all points of view in the debate and is constituted of the most eminent world scientists who can help to ensure that we understand HIV/AIDS correctly and therefore respond to it correctly.

Unfortunately, this has earned us the anger of some, including scientists, who argue that through this process we seek to give legitimacy to 'dangerous and discredited' scientists. They say that all scientific questions relating to HIV/AIDS were resolved by 1984.

Needless to say, we do not agree with a view that seeks to freeze science at a particular point in time. Unlike Galileo, we are not in anyway suggesting that it is 'fact' that the prevailing mainstream scientific view is wrong. All we are saying is that the issues must be debated and all views considered. Our ultimate goal is to save the lives of the many men, women and children who are dying daily. We hope that the honourable members, regardless of political affiliation will understand the need for them to support the work that we are doing in this important matter.

This is not an issue that we should be party politicking about. Finally, as members of this House and Parliament, we should consider ourselves as activists against HIV/AIDS and accordingly ensure that in our activities among the people, we further promote the campaign against HIV/AIDS for the benefit of our country and its entire people.

I thank you

Issued by the Office of the Presidency, April 19 2000

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