Opens on the Anniversary of Nagasaki Atomic Bombing

KUALA LUMPUR: 2015 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Though 70 years have passed, nuclear weapons and wars remain a threat to humanity. This year, Mr. Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), submitted his annual Peace Proposal to the United Nations with the theme “A Shared Pledge for a More Humane Future: To Eliminate Misery from the Earth”. In this proposal, President Ikeda stated: “The future is determined by the depth and intensity of the vow or pledge embraced by people living in the present moment. As human beings, we possess the capacity to take steps to ensure that no one else, including future generations, must endure the sufferings that afflict us today.”

Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) has designated September as the ‘Month of Peace’, to create the awareness of peace in society and to promote good moral with a series of activities in the community. The beginning of Soka Gakkai’s peace ideal can be traced back to 8 September 1957 when Mr Josei Toda, 2nd President of Soka Gakkai made the ‘Declaration of Antinuclear Weapons’ to the world. The declaration emphasizes the dignity of life inherent in every human being and that everyone has the right to live. This call became the impetus for the Soka Gakkai International’s global peace movement. Under the leadership of Mr Toda’s successor, Mr Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the peace movement has spread to 192 countries and territories.

On many occasions and in his peace proposals, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda calls on international public opinion to play an important role in helping the international community reach an agreement on an initial draft of a Nuclear Weapons Convention by 2015, and thereby become the launching point for a larger effort for global disarmament aiming toward the year 2030. As 2015 also marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, it is timely for SGM to host “Everything You Treasure – For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons” Peace Exhibition in Wisma Kebudayaan SGM from August 8 till September 27. SGM is honoured to have Tan Sri Razali Ismail, Chairman of The Global Movement of Moderates Foundation to officiate the exhibition and deliver a keynote speech on 9 August 2015 at SGM Auditorium, Wisma Kebudayaan SGM.

“Everything You Treasure – For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons” Peace Exhibition is a joint initiative by Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The objective of this exhibition is “…to inspire more people to consider nuclear weapons abolition as their personal concern and to work in expanding solidarity to that end…The goal is to awaken such awareness, and to spur the further formation of international public opinion for nuclear weapons abolition.”

The exhibition first launched in 2012 at Hiroshima, Japan – the first city in history suffered from the attack of atomic bomb. The exhibition has toured Sweden, USA, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Philippines, New Zealand, Switzerland and Norway. In Malaysia, this exhibition will consists of 34 panels and is available in 3 languages, Bahasa Malaysia, English and Chinese. The enriched text and pictures presentation provides discussion on many topics thereby inspiring the Malaysian society and especially the young generation to feel empowered to strive for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

“Everything You Treasure – For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons” Peace Exhibition is opened to public from 8 August to 27 September 2015 at Soka Exhibition Hall, Ground Floor, and SGM Exhibition Hall, 7th Floor, Wisma Kebudayaan SGM with opening hours from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Admission is free.

Exhibition guide services will also be available, prior appointment is required for groups with more than 15 people via online booking at https://www.sgm.org.my/eyt_booking/. Please contact SGM PR Department at tel: 03-2144 8686 or email: sgmpro@sgm.org.my for further information.

Besides Kuala Lumpur, “Everything You Treasure – For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons” Peace Exhibition will be displayed at 13 other locations nationwide from August onwards. SGM hopes to achieve 100,000 visitors touring the exhibitions. Please log on to Peace Exhibition official website (unlink) for Information of exhibitions at various locations. Admission is free, SGM volunteers are also conducting talks to share information on the issue of nuclear weapons abolition as well as promoting and encouraging more people to visit the exhibition.

In conjunction with SGM’s Peace Campaign this year, SGM has launched the “Malaysians’ Voices of Peace”, an online national Peace Survey for the duration of 3 months from 5th May to 15th August 2015.  The objectives of the peace survey are to gauge the perception of Malaysians towards peace and the perception of Malaysians towards nuclear weapons. Target respondents for this survey are Malaysians, 13 years old and above. General public are encouraged to participate the survey at https://www.sgm.org.my/eyt_survey/.

On 26th September 2015, International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, SGM will host a peace forum at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM, Kuala Lumpur at 3.00pm. We hope to present the Malaysians’ voices of peace based on the online survey to the United Nations, and contribute to realising world peace and a world free from nuclear weapons.

Please visit www.sgm.org.my or www.facebook.com/SokaGakkaiMalaysia for more information on SGM Peace Campaign 2015. Any inquiry, please contact SGM PR Department at tel: 03-2144 8686 or email: sgmpro@sgm.org.my.

Press Contact: SGM Public Relations Department, Chia Kok Peng
Tel: 03-9075 6876
Fax: 03-9074 2413
Email: sgmpro@sgm.org.my