LOCAL Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming will meet Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah to discuss the maintenance of Dataran Merdeka soon.
Nga said he made a spontaneous visit to the tourist attraction to check on the toilet facilities after receiving public complaints about it.
“I find the level of cleanliness to be satisfactory and the lighting was good too. However, the ceiling in the men’s toilet was damaged, the hand soap dispenser was empty and some taps were dry.
“During my visit, I also found that the Dataran Merdeka field has ‘bald’ patches, the underground business premises were in a dilapidated state and an electrical switch box was not properly closed, which was a safety hazard to visitors,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 3).
Nga said the cleanliness level of toilets reflected on the country’s image, especially those that were located at main tourist attractions or gateway to the country.
“Toilets that are clean, attractive and smell nice would also increase a positive perception of the people of the local authorities.
“I hope all 155 local authorities in the country will set up a unit to monitor the cleanliness of public toilets and implement maintenance works according to schedule, to ensure the public toilets in the country are always clean and in working order,” he said.
He also said the ministry under his leadership would find the best solution to ensure that the infrastructure or public facilities built using the people’s money were cared for, maintained well and always in satisfactory condition.
“Maintenance culture should be emphasised and taken seriously by all government agencies.
“For the people’s wellbeing, I hope all parties can work together to keep public places clean and support the ministry’s efforts to help the country prosper, sustainably and fairly,” he said.
