WHATEVER you may say about them, you cannot accuse the National Library and the government of not trying. This time around, they have started a National Reading Club.

Launched on July 1, it is to help inculcate the reading habit among Malaysians.

After the launch, Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said he would propose to the government that civil servants be given a book allowance. He wants the private sector to do likewise. Excellent.

According to the national book policy target, germinated in 1984, the nation should have achieved reading society status in 2000. We are eight years overdue; and, it seems, nowhere near the target.

The findings of a National Library survey, Shafie said, showed that only 13 per cent of 27 million Malaysians read books.
Surely it is an indictment of our collective apathy and the failure of the hundreds of reading campaigns and book exhibitions.

The government even declared 1988 The Year of the Reader. The campaign saw a flurry of activity, including the establishment of reading committees everywhere. What became of them?

Ministers and directors-general ordered their underlings to set up reading corners in all federal, state and district government offices. There were calls to set up reading corners aboard trains and xpress buses, and in estates, factories and homes. What became of them?

The earliest comprehensive survey on the reading habits of Malaysians, undertaken in 1984, showed that people read only half a page or so annually. The next survey, in 1996, showed an improvement -- the average Malaysian read two books annually.

Amid this dismal atmosphere, there appears to be a tiny light. A steady rise in membership at the National Library. In 1990, it had 128,045 members, rising to 460,000 in 2001. The latest figure (as at July 5) puts it at 788,541.

A National Library spokesman said between January and July 5, 20,196 people had joined.

But, truth be told, this is one instance where Malaysia Tak Boleh (can't do). Among the reasons is the exam-oriented education system, with its stress on rote learning and regurgitation. Change it, please.

Another major reason is the high cost of books. Bring prices down, please.

Another reason has been an inability to sustain the momentum of campaigns.

What can be done to help create a passion for reading? Together with baby food, parents must feed their children an interest in reading.

Schools must encourage better use of the library and stock them up with interesting books. Those selecting books for our libraries -- school and public -- must be more discerning.

Many children see books as evil goblins out to ensure they fail in tests and examinations. For, the only books they read are school texts or related material.

Children and youngsters must be introduced to the pleasures of reading and to the likes of the Three Musketeers, Achilles, Sherlock Holmes, Alice, the Secret Seven and Hamlet.

The phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series should tell us why: It awakened the pleasure of reading in millions. For that, we should be forever grateful to J.K. Rowling.

More book sales -- at discounted prices -- will help. Just take a look at the huge crowds at sales by MPH Stores, Times, Popular or Pay Less Books.

Since we are fond of giving gifts, why not give books instead of toys or cash or souvenirs? A birthday, give a book. A retirement party, give a book. A child with As, give a book. An opening ceremony, give a book.

The government can lead the way. Each time any department or school wants to give an award or a reward, a book must be included. Books must form part of the prizes of contests. Let's make it a habit.

It has been 20 years since the first Year of the Reader. Perhaps 2009 should be the second Year of the Reader.

With concerted and sustained effort,who knows, we might even transform into a reading society -- one where every Malaysian can read and where books are an integral part of daily life.