Paying RM3 as a reward or as a rental rebate for every rat caught is something laudable but to attain a sustainable outcome, we need to look at the pest problem more comprehensively.
Paying RM3 per rat caught is what I term as a band-aid solution for a very protracted problem. For all intents and purposes, it was just a symptomatic cure.
Sometimes if we focus too much on quick fixes, we may just lose sight of the real problems. Not being able to solve the real problem could be very detrimental to our long-term objective of attaining the developed nation status that we yearn for.
Let’s be honest, rats, cockroaches, lizards, stray cats and dogs are common sights all over Malaysia, particularly near eateries, restaurants, flats and garbage disposal areas.
Seriously, when are we going to keep our habitat clean? Just go to a hawker centre and look into the drains around it. Just go to a “pasar malam” site after the business for the day is over. Just go to a restaurant and look at its kitchen and the drains in front and at the back of the shop. Just ask ourselves how well have we kept our homes clean? Have we disposed of our kitchen wastes properly and orderly?
It is that simple; pests are attracted to filth and leftover foods. Pests multiply because their stomachs are full. If we dispose of wastes and leftovers carelessly, pests will multiply. If we can’t keep our homes, eateries and restaurants clean, pests will invade us.
The drains around shops, houses and flats are not meant for us to throw wastes or pour leftover food into. Sometimes I feel that the monsoon drains in Malaysia have become open sewage pipes.
If we can’t maintain cleanliness, pests will multiply faster than we can catch them. Pay whatever reward we want to those who catch the rats, but don’t ever lose sight of the real issue here – constant enforcement to keep our habitat squeaky clean.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently talked about feeling ashamed over one’s failures. I think we should make people with dirty habits feel ashamed. Similarly, we must find a way to shame eateries and restaurants that can’t keep their venues clean.
TK Chua is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.