Its deputy minister Ab Aziz Kaprawi said this was aimed at ensuring that toilets at public transport terminals were properly maintained to five-star level, thus improving Malaysia’s image in the eyes of the world.
He said the public might view only airports as transport hubs which could reflect the country’s image but bus terminals and train stations also had a role to play in the tourism sector.
“We don’t want the country’s image to be marred by the people’s indifference towards cleanliness, especially keeping public toilets clean, which is an aspect that passengers or tourists pay attention to.
“Hence, the ministry will not hesitate to take action against transport hub or cleaning operators who neglect their responsibilities.”
Aziz said this to reporters after launching the Malaysia Airports “Pay It Forward” campaign at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The campaign was initiated by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB). Its managing director Badlisham Ghazali was also present at the event.
The deputy minister said he wanted all transport hubs in the country to emulate KLIA in maintaining the cleanliness of toilets as the public facilities at the country’s main gateway were well maintained and achieved a five-star rating in the key performance indicators (KPI).
Aziz said to ensure that public facilities at the airport terminal, which had been operating since 1998, were always in good condition, MAHB had carried out various measures including penalising the cleaning contractor for failing to adhere to the work schedule contained in the contract agreement.
He also commended MAHB for carrying out the “Pay It Forward” campaign in creating public awareness on the importance of looking after public facilities and maintaining cleanliness of the surroundings, as this could boost the image of KLIA as a favoured transport hub among domestic and regional passengers.
Meanwhile, Badlisham said MAHB had short and long-term plans to increase the number of cleaning contractors from one to three as well as to upgrade the 131 toilets at KLIA in stages, with work expected to be completed by 2019.