I sympathize with Tony. I worked for AIDS organisation almost a decade ago. It's often hard to have a 'rational discussion' with people who are going die. Go figure!
And why Tony needed to have a rational discussion with the organizers in order to make a freakin' funding announcement is also beyond me... send out the press release, it's no more complicated than that.
But what truly irked me, was that Two-tier Tony cited the demand for the resignation of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the South African Health Minister, as an example of the 'irrational' climate.
The CBC reports that the SA Health Minister was "accused of promoting traditional treatments, such as lemon and garlic, instead of anti-retroviral medications." As a result, one of the Conference participants demanded his resignation.
Sounds disrespectful? But that's not quite what happened.
As the Irish Examiner notes, it's a bit more complicated than that:
Tshabalala-Msimang drew criticism at the conference for using South Africa’s booth in the exhibition hall to promote a natural recipe for treating HIV: lemons, garlic and beet root. South African activists trashed the booth earlier in the week.
This is the same government which has questioned the link between HIV and AIDS.
So, if the Minister of Health for Canada went to the same conference, questioned the usefulness of retrovirals and suggested people use a mix of lemons, garlic, and beet root to deal with AIDS.... do you think it would be a bit out of line to ask if that Minister knew what he was doing?
In that case, who is irrational?
- The beet-root & garlic cure promoting health minister
- People asking for the beet-root & garlic health minister's resignation
- Two-tier Tony Clement (who thinks we should all shut up about beet root.)
- 1 & 3
2 comments:
Yes, he is. What is particularly galling to me, is what our government did by not announcing any assistance. How much more firmly could you slap the conference in the face, given it's theme "Time to Deliver".
Things aren't much better for the South African Gov't at home.
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