UMnu. Marco Rubio, umphathintambo wohlangothi lukahulumende weMelika olubona ngokudlelana lamanye amazwe, uthi uyalusekela uhlelo lweU.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ngoba lunceda abantu abanengi emhlabeni wonke jikelele.
URubio uthi kumele ngokuya kwesikhathi kuphungulwe imali yohlelo lolu njengalokhu okufiswa nguhulumende kaMongameli Donald Trump, osanda kuvala ezinye inhlelo emazweni atshiyeneyo lakweleMelika eziphansi kwenhlanganiso ebona ngezentuthuko eyeUnited States Agency for International Aid (USAID).
Uthi, “Ngiyalusekela uhlelo lwePEPFAR. Ngangisedale leCongress. Okwamanje ngingumphathintambo wogatsha lweState (Department). Kusobala ukuba sizakuba lembuzo eminengi ngalo. Uma uhlelo lwePEPFAR lusebenza kahle, luhlelo ekomele lunciphiswe ngokuya kwesikhathi, hatshi ukuthi luqhele. Lapha kuvikelwa ukumemetheka kwegciwane leHIV okwenza ukuba abantu bengabi legciwane leli emzimbeni kumbe liphungukale emzimbeni ngakho-ke abatheleli abantwana… Lolu luhlelo engahlala ngilusekela ngakho-ke kumele siqhubeke ngalo loba luzanciphiswa.”
Uphinde wathi kulezinye njalo ezinye inhlelo ezithakazelelwa nguzulu emhlabeni wonke jikelele ngakho-ke kuzahlupha uma zingavalwa ngoba kulakho ukuba amalwecatsha angene kulezondawo eleMelika lilahlekelwe ngabasekeli.
URubio uthi inhlelo lezi zigoqela ukudla kwabalambayo lokunye.
Phansi kohlelo lwePEFPAR, isigodlo seMelika eZimbabwe sibika ukuba kulabantu abedlula kancane isigidi 1,2 million abanikwa amaphilisi okuvimba ukumemetheka kwegciwane leHIV, lezinye ezempilakahle kazulu.
URubio uthi kulokunye okwakuqhutshwa phansi kwenhlanganiso yeUSAID okwakusetshenziswa imali ngendlela engaqondanga.
“Sesikubonile lokhu njalo kumele inhlelo ezinye zenziwe ngabanye hatshi eleMelika,” kutsho uRubio.
Uhulumende kaTrump usanda kuvala inhlelo phose zonke eziqhutshwa phansi kweUSAID esithi kudlaliswa imali kwezinye inhlelo eziqhutshwa kwamanye amazwe lakweleMelika. Abaphikisayo bathi akuqondanga lokhu njalo umthethwandaba usunqume ukuba kumele inhlelo lezo zinikwe imali hatshi lokhu okwenziwa nguhulumende kaTrump okuthiwa kalandeli imithetho yedale leCongress.
Ukuhlaziya loludaba sixoxe loMnu. Raphael Mthombeni odabuka eZimbabwe ohlala eMelika othi kuyajabulisa okukhulunywa nguRubio.
UMthombeni uthi, “Kuhle kakhulu akukhulumayo ngoba abantu abanengi bebezakufa ngenxa yokuswela amaphilisa okuvikela ukumemetheka kwegciwane leHIV emhlabeni wonke jikelele.”
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