Tifatul Sembiring jokes about AIDS
Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/30/2010 9:30 AM
Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring apparently finds it amusing to make jokes about AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) patients via his personal Twitter account, @tifsembiring.
In one of his updates posted on Wednesday at around 9:30 p.m., Tifatul said AIDS stood for Akibat Itunya Ditaruh Sembarangan, meaning in English, “caused by reckless use of one’s penis”.
Tifatul was quoting former health minister Sujudi’s remark on AIDS.
It did not take long for numerous Twitter users to find Tifatul’s quote offensive.
News anchor, Desi Anwar, whose account is @desianwar, said in her status update, “Dear Mr. @tifsembiring, listen to me. If you cannot tweet properly and correctly, you’d better stay silent.”
A journalist, Candra Malik, in his account @candramalik, said “AIDS is a health issue, not a joke, Mr. @tifsembiring”.
National Democrat public relations head, Chantal D. Concetta, told The Jakarta Post that she believed Tifatul to have lacked empathy toward AIDS patients with his joke.
Tifatul, in his defense, said that anyone had the right to voice their opinions on Twitter and he did not intend to offend AIDS patients, and he only quoted the remark for a professor who wanted to make the disease easier to remember.
