On December 14, 2019, SGM was invited to give a talk titled “Everything You Treasure,” in a neighbourhood event organised by the Neighbourhood Watch Committee (Kawan Rukun Tetangga; KRT) of SS22B Damansara Jaya at a playground in the neighbourhood. The talk was attended by some 85 residents of the area.
In his opening speech, KRT SS22B Damansara Jaya chairman Colonel (R) Roslly Yusoff mentioned that during his service in the military, he underwent training for warfare and understands clearly the devastation that war can bring to a country and its people.
In her speech, the guest-of-honour, Bandar Utama assemblywoman YB Jamaliah Jamaluddin, said that though nuclear weapons sounds like a distant topic, it is very important. Though nuclear weapons garner less attention than issues like climate change, she believes it’s crucial for people to know about this, and that this talk is a good opportunity to raise people’s awareness on this issue.
After giving a brief introduction of SGM, SGM representative Dinesh Chandren spoke on the importance of abolishing nuclear weapons, including the story of a hibakusha (survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), Chisako Takeoka, whose mother lost an eye during the bombing and whose infant son, born after the war, died of atom bomb disease.
He also provided insights on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which is a crucial step towards global nuclear disarmament. The TPNW will enter into force globally once it has been ratified by 50 countries; currently, 34 states have ratified it. He further emphasised that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist, and we can only have lasting peace and happiness when nuclear weapons are no more. The talk successfully raised participants’ awareness on what they can do to eliminate nuclear weapons and the importance of peace.
After the talk, the residents also viewed the exhibition panels of “Everything You Treasure” which was narrated by SGM youth division members. YB Jamaliah also signed the ICAN parliamentary pledge in which elected representatives pledge to promote the signature and ratification of the TPNW by their governments.
