All countries must support ban on nukes

IT HAS been 75 years since atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that helped end World War II (1939 – 1945) which had caused millions of deaths all over the world, particularly in Asia and Europe.

On Aug 6, 1945, the nature of global warfare changed forever when the air force of the US, which led the Allies’ forces, dropped for the very first time an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

The explosion was said to have more power than 20,000 tonnes of TNT, brighter and hotter than the surface of the sun.

Tens of thousands of Japanese reportedly died during the initial attack. Radiation sickness, which followed afterwards, caused the total deaths to soar to at least 140,000.

The attack was ordered by then US president Harry S. Truman. He argued that the nuclear bomb was necessary to force Japan to surrender and end the atrocities carried out by the Japanese military in countries which they occupied in Asia including Malaysia (back then known separately as Malaya, Sarawak and

North Borneo).

Though Hiroshima was devastated, the Japanese still refuse to surrender. So, the Allies dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki on Aug 9, 1945 which had killed another 40,000.

The majority of the victims were in fact innocent civilians.

The two bombings remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history.

Though the use of such a terrible weapon forced the Japanese to surrender on Aug 15, 1945, there have been many debates regarding the justification for using such weapons of mass destruction especially against innocent civilians.

Until today, many critics say the US should never have dropped the bomb, though some are still in favour of its use.

Years later, opinions are still strongly divided. Looking at the scale of destruction it can cause and the challenges which we are facing in today’s world, especially the threat of terrorism, all nations must come together and call for an end to the development and use of nuclear weapons.

On July 7, 2017, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or the Nuclear Weapon

Ban Treaty – which is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons – was passed during a meeting at a UN conference in New York.

The treaty prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons, as well as assistance and encouragement to the prohibited activities.

For nuclear armed states joining the treaty, it provides for a time-bound framework for negotiations leading to the verified and irreversible elimination of its nuclear weapons programme.

The treaty was opened for signature to all countries at the UN headquarters in New York on Sept 20, 2017, and entered into force 90 days after. As of 2020, the treaty has been ratified by about 50 countries including Malaysia.

Sadly, 69 nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, France and Russia did not support the treaty, stating that such treaty disregards the realities of the international security environment .

If we are committed to put an end to the development and use of nuclear weapons, all countries must stand united.

The treaty will become ineffective without full support from all nations.

Countries supporting the treaty must work together to pressure those countries that don’t.

Countries which did not support the treaty must re-think their opposition to the treaty for the sake of future generations.

Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow,

Senior lecturer, Faculty of Syariah & Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia