     Many people in the world are concerned about the dwindling size of 
the whale population in the oceans and seas.  They are worried because 
the number of whales is getting so small.  Whales are very large aquatic 
animals which have been hunted since about the seventh century.  However, 
certain types of whale have been hunted too much and there are so few now 
that they are in danger of becoming extinct.  Fortunately, these concerned 
people are working to save the whales from such a fate.
     Why should we save the whales?  There are two important reasons.  The 
first is that whales help to keep a balance between plants and animals.  
People have disturbed this balance by throwing waste into the sea.  This 
sewage and garbage has increased the amount of salt in the sea water which 
in turn, helps the tiny plants and animals, called plankton, to grow.  Al-
though plankton can be harmful to fish, they are necessary for whales to 
survive.  Whale eat enormous amounts of plankton and therefore keep the 
ocean environment clean enough for fish.  In addition, because fish are an 
important source of food for many people, people need whales, and so they 
try to save them.
     How are people working to save whales?  Some worried people are attem-
pting to save whales through legal means, by using the law.  These people 
attend meetings of the whaling commissions to ask whalers to reduce the 
number of whales that can be killed in a year.  They also work within coun-
tries to persuade law-makers to make whaling and the use of whale products 
illegal.
     Other concerned people are working to save whales from becoming ex-
tinct in another way.  These people believe that the best means to save the 
whales is by making whale products expensive.  They think that if whale 
products become less economical than similar products, then whalers will 
kill fewer whales.  Consequently, the supply of whale products will de-
crease because of the low demand for them.  One of the most valuable whale 
products is whale oil which is processed from the fat, meat and bones of 
whales.  This oil has many uses, for example, in the manufacture of mar-
garine, soap and certain cosmetics.  One large whale may yield 150 barrels 
of whale oil.  However, scientists have found an alternative yet similar 
oil from a desert plant, jojoba oil.  People are trying to produce jojoba 
oil more economically than whale oil and hope that is this way they can 
help to save the whales.
     Concern for whales is world-wide.  Some governments will not let peo-
ple sell whale products in their countries.  Others have changed the laws 
on whaling to prevent whalers from killing as many whales as before.  Peo-
ple who want to save the whales are very hopeful that the gentle giants of 
the ocean can be saved.
     Why should we save the whales?  There are two important reasons.  The 
first is the whales help to keep a balance between plants and animals.  
People have disturbed this balance by throwing waste into the sea.  This 
sewage and garbage has increased the amount of salt in the sea water which 
in turn, helps the tiny plants and animals, called plankton, to grow.  Al-
though plankton can be harmful to fish, they are necessary for whales to 
survive.  Whales eat enormous amounts of plankton and therefore keep the 
ocean environment clean enough for fish.  In addition, because fish are an 
important source of food for many people, people need whales, and so they 
try to save them.
     How are people working to save whales?  Some worried people are at-
tempting to save whales through legal means, by using the law.  These peo-
ple attend meetings of the whaling commissions to ask whalers to reduce the 
number of whales that can be killed in a year.  They also work within coun-
tries to persuade law-makers to make whaling and the use of whale products 
illegal.
     Other concerned people are working to save whales from becoming extin-
ct in another way.  These people believe that the best means to save the 
whales is by making whale products expensive.  They think that if whale 
products become less economical than similar products, then whalers will 
kill fewer whales.  Consequently, the supply of whale products will de-
crease because of the low demand for them.  One of the most valuable whale 
products is whale oil which is processed from the fat, meat and bones of 
whales.  This oil has many uses, for example, in the manufacture of mar-
garine, soap and certain cosmetics.  One large whale may yield 150 barrels 
of whale oil.  However, scientists have found an alternative yet similar 
oil from a desert plant, jojoba oil.  People are trying to produce jojoba 
oil more economically than whale oil and hope that in this way they can 
help to save the whales.
     Concern for whales is world-wide.  Some governments will not let peo-
ple sell whale products in their countries.  Others have changed the laws 
on whaling to prevent whalers from killing as many whales as before.  Peo-
ple who want to save the whales are very hopeful that the gentle giants of 
the ocean can be saved.
     One of the famous tourist attractions situated in Kuala Lumpur is the 
Muzium Negara which is also one of the finest institutions of its kind in 
Southeast Asia.
     The Muzium Negara, barely three decades old, was charged by our first 
Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman with the task of helping to forge a 
spirit of national identity in Malaysia's multi-racial society.  This mu-
seum has become the focus of this culturally rich country, a preserver of 
the nation's heritage.
     Seriously damaged during World War II, a publicity campaign was mount-
ed in 1962 to rebuild the museum.  It was also necessary to replace the ex-
hibits lost during the war.  The campaign included, among other things, co-
llecting artifacts, especially Malay crafts.  Help came from unexpected 
quarters.  A Malay wood carver donated 40 lengths of magnificent hand woven 
silk, all of them more than 60 years old.  Intricately carved doors and 
screens and antique furniture of an entire Chinese household came from Ma-
lacca.  A woman donated a full bridal outfit from the golden and jewelled 
headband down to the beaded slippers sewn by the bride.  The museum was 
opened in August 1963.
     To entice people into the museum again and again, exhibitions are held 
every now and then.  These exhibitions range from Malaysian arts and crafts 
and natural history to information on public interest campaigns.  In addi-
tion, foreign embassies are invited to use the museum for special travell-
ing exhibits from their own countries.  Live demonstrations, singers and 
multi-media presentations spice up the shows.
     One of the most successful exhibitions was one that featured the per-
sonal effects of a popular Malaysian actor, director, singer and composer, 
P. Ramlee, soon after he died.  His films were screened daily during the 
exhibition.  Popular singers and film stars were invited to perform and the 
museum was kept open until midnight.  "A museum should not only show the 
past, but also the changes of the present," said the then director-general 
of the museum.  Despite many raised eyebrows, a million people visited the 
museum during the three weeks of the exhibition.
     As protector of the nation's heritage, the government-funded Muzium 
Negara stands to safeguard national monuments and to prevent important ob-
jects from being exported.  What it is building, more than a collection of 
artifacts, is a sense of nationhood, and it serves as a model of what can 
be done with an unlimited supply of imagination, energy, flexibility and 
optimism.