| Malaysia
has a multi-racial population characterized by diverse cultures
and religions. The people are mainly of Malay, Chinese and
Indian origin with a diverse group of indigenous people.
Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, although English
is widely spoken. Islam is the official religion while Buddhism,
Hinduism, Christianity and other religions are practised
freely. National unity, tolerance and living in a society
that is democratic, liberal, caring and infused with strong
moral and ethical values are national aspirations which
have been ingrained in the country's socio-economic development
plans and Vision 2020.
The population of 22.8 million is young; the
size of the population is projected to increase 2.0 per
cent annually to 33.4 million by 2020.
In addition to informafion services such as its library,
the Information, Education and Communication Unit of Malaysia's
National Population and Family Development Board carries
out numerous outreach functions aimed at implementing the
govemment's programme.
Malaysia's National Population and Family Development Board
(NPFDB), originally the National Family Planning Board,
was established in 1966 primarily to organize and implement
a nation-wide family planning programme. The Resource Centre
was then known as the Library and it provided an important
service in disseminating information, education and communication
(IEC) materials which enhanced the acceptance of family
planning for birth spacing and family health.
In 1984, the government issued a policy statement which
emphasized the qualitative aspects of the population through
human resources development. Under this policy, the goal
of reducing fertility is maintained over the long term but
at a gradual rate rather than rapidly. Family planning services
were broadened beyond a clinic-centred approach to a development
approach.
Malaysia has initiated, among other things, changes in
policies, programmes, and the institutional and organizational
framework to support the Programme of Action of the 1994
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
Existing population programmes have been revised along themetic
areas of concern and priorities, which are reproductive
health, population and family development.
Although policies for balanced, equitable and sustainable
development were already implemented before ICPD, the Cairo
meeting and the Fourth World Conference on Women held at
Beijing in 1995 provided the opportunity to pursue specific
and more complex issues. The Seventh Malaysia Plan (1996-2000)
paved the way for what is called the Social Agenda to be
considered as the national priority. This was realized through
the formation of the Cabinet Committee on Social Issues
and implemented through the Social Action Plan and a special
budgetary allocation.
Recognizing the family institution as the backbone of
development, the government is very concerned with the emerging
issues affecting social structures and the family institution
as families strive to cope with the fast tempo of development.
Various family-oriented programmes have been developed since
1990 with the objective of developing a "quality population"
through the strengthening of the family institution and
preparing families to cope with and adjust to changes in
the social and economic environment of the new millennium.
NPFDB as the focal point for family development in Malaysia
has developed various educational modules which include
family health, parenting, development of human potential
and population dynamics.
Malaysia recognizes that the government alone cannot manage
the effective implementation of the ICPD goals. Regular
dialogue, consultation and information-sharing with advocacy
groups, the private sector and community-based organizations
are held for the design, formulation and implementation
of programmes for the family, children, youth, older persons
and the disabled.
The basic communication links among libraries in Malaysia
are provided by telephone services under the Telecommunications
Department. The NPFDB Library uses telephone and telecommunication
lines for reference, referral and information services.
A number of libraries in Malaysia have access to major databases
in the United States, e.g. the DIALOG information service,
through the MAYPAC system, one of the reference services
provided by the National Library of Malaysia.
The Malaysian Videotext system, TELITA, is an online information
retrieval service which is applicable for office, library
and home use. MALMARC (Malaysia Machine Readable Catalogue)
and JARING (Joint Advanced Research Integrating Networking),
a national networking project, provide the infrastructure
for research and development purposes as well as information
services provided by MIMOS (Malaysia Institute of Microelectronics
System), which focuses on the enhancement of systems for
information collection, storage, processing, dissemination
and use.
The NPFDB Resource Centre and its branches serve as the
main information centre of the country's population information
networking project. Its members include libraries of academic
and research institutions, ministries, departments and organizations.
It serves as the national focal point for East and South-East
Asia POPIN and is in the process of participating in other
systems. It uses the Virginia Tech Library System (VRLS)
to provide information services to network members and clients.
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