On April 18, 2010, representatives of SGM Penang participated in a roundtable on a proposed “Non-violence Initiative” at the Gandhiji Ashram, Penang. SGM Penang was represented by Tan Lay See, Teoh Gaik See, Leong Yeuu Siong, Low Chon Leck and Teoh Peir Yan. Aside from SGM, there were participants from Brahma Kumaris, Right Livelihood College, Malaysia Hindu Sangham and Pesticide Action Network.

Dato’ Anwar Fazal, Director of the Right Livelihood College, commenced the meeting with a short introduction, stating that the gathering was a response to a workshop held the previous year. The idea of starting a “Non-violence Initiative” was brought up by Biju Negi, a journalist-activist from Pesticide Action Network, who had worked on the “Save the Seeds” campaign in India.

Biju Negi explained that there is an urgent need to do something about widespread violence in the world. Although there are numerous organisations working on peace, gender inequality, social inequities and so on, the issue of non-violence was not being addressed directly and in a concerted manner. In addition, public awareness on non-violence is generally low. Therefore, the “Nonviolence Initiative” sought to generate awareness on violence and destruction, to make people consciously think about non-violence issues and strategies, and to increase people’s promotion of and engagement in non-violence. The initiative could also be adopted by the participants for their own organisations, and as part of their ongoing work on peace and related issues.

During the roundtable, a number of video clips were shown including footages of the violent killings committed during the Iraq War. In the ensuing discussions, participants concluded that violence was not in human nature. Participants spoke about the merits of building lasting connections, the role of education and the importance of having dialogue with those who do not subscribe to the theory of non-violence to win their “hearts and minds.”

Numerous ideas were brought up during the roundtable. These included a plan to develop a resource bank on non-violence, to compile quotations and other educational resources on nonviolence, to distribute questionnaires and also start a dedicated blog on non-violence. Public responses gathered from these activities can form the basis for further development and research, design of teaching modules on non-violence and so on. There was also suggestion to have public gatherings to spread message of non-violence to more people. Organisations could come together to observe a series of activities on non-violence between September 21 (International Peace Day) and October 2 (International Day of Nonviolence). SGM Penang will be working closely with the other organisations to take the initiative forward.