(Nov 21) AS a killer, HIV doesn't jump at you like heart disease sometimes seems to do. And unlike cancer, it doesn't creep up on you either.

To get it, you usually have to do something.

And that, said outspoken Malaysian Aids activist Marina Mahathir (L), is perhaps the best form of defence against the disease.

'HIV is not easy to get because it cannot transfer on its own. So it's entirely up to you how you acquire it,' she said.

But the question here is, should the doing include 'telling' before 'kissing'?

Singapore is considering changes to its HIV laws. One proposal: Before you have sex, tell your partner if you've been naughty. If you don't, and your partner gets infected, you face a jail term of up to 10 years or a fine of up to $50,000.

The purpose is to get high-risk people to protect their sexual partners, and deter them from unsafe sex. Will it work?

RESERVATIONS

Datin Paduka Marina, daughter of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, has some reservations.

'The question is what do people understand by 'high-risk behaviour'? You could have sex only once, but if that's with a person who is HIV-positive, then that would be high-risk.

'Or you could have sex many times with different partners but if you use a condom all the time, your risk becomes very low,' she said.

The problem is that if you don't tell, no one knows.

'Nobody is going to admit to high-risk behaviour and it's not something you can monitor. So to expect people to self-monitor and to regularly test, rather than to modify behaviour, is expecting too much,' she said.

There are 2,852 people in Singapore who are HIV-positive, 25 of them children. More than 1,500 people here have Aids.

The Government has been targeting high-risk groups to control infection.

But Datin Paduka Marina, who will speak on Gender, Islam and HIV/Aids tomorrow at the National University of Singapore's Department of Malay Studies, argues for good, frank public education and more anonymous testing.

'We need to have more anonymous testing sites to encourage people to get tested voluntarily and with full confidentiality.

'We need frank education about the risks of unprotected sex, especially for young people,' she said.

'We need to stop prejudiced stories in the media about people with HIV, and to have leadership from government to reduce the stigma. For instance we should have a photo of the PM hugging an HIV-positive person. That would have a real impact.'

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Her views on public education are shared by local group Action for Aids.

Referring to the proposed law, AFA president Roy Chan said: 'There will be great complexity administering such a law, given the nature of the disease and, more importantly, its mode of transmission.

'We feel the energy and resources devoted to this law and its enforcement will be better spent on more effective public education aimed at knowledge building for all communities and in acceptance of the people with HIV.

'In this way, members of the public will voluntarily undergo testing as well as become more knowledgeable.'

Datin Paduka Marina, who has a degree in international relations from Sussex University, also took offence at a letter from the Health Ministry to newspapers.

It said: 'The fact remains that we live in an HIV-prevalent region and we should protect Singaporeans against this infection.'

She said: 'It sounds as if Singapore is a 'clean zone' surrounded by dirty people!'

On Islam and HIV prevention, she said: 'Every religion has a role to play both in prevention and in care and support. The most important thing is to extend a loving hand to those at risk of infection and those who have become infected.

'Most religions are good at care and support and terrible at prevention. It's almost as if they are saying 'We won't love you until you become infected, poor thing'.'