Malaysia is to introduce college courses in toilet management as part of a battle against the nation’s notoriously filthy public restrooms, a report said on Thursday.
Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Robert Lau said similar efforts had yielded clean toilets in Britain and squeaky-clean Singapore.
“Cleanliness of toilets also concerns the use of suitable cleaning tools, soap, deodorant and tissue papers,” he was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency.
Aimed at ensuring high standards in toilet design, cleanliness, maintenance and sanitation, the courses could be rolled out within two or three years, Lau said.
Also in the pipeline is an exhibition on toilets and an SMS text service for Malaysians to complain about grubby restrooms, while authorities will revoke the licences of food outlets if their toilets are found to be dirty, he said.
Malaysia has launched a major tourism drive for 2007 and is acutely conscious of the state of its loos, which have drawn complaints from locals and tourists alike.
Complaints include a lack of toilet paper and soap, as well as the habits of users who shun flushing and choose to squat on Western-style toilet seats, leaving dirty shoe prints behind.
Malaysia last August declared it needed a “toilet revolution”, and hosted its first-ever toilet expo to revolutionise the way its citizens use lavatories.
In December, the government proudly unveiled the country’s first self-cleaning public toilets in capital Kuala Lumpur. — AFP