Malaysian toilets fail cleanliness test - again!

Is this Tourism Malaysia or is it for real?

KUALA LUMPUR - An official says Malaysia's public toilets are still flunking the government's cleanliness tests despite public awareness campaigns.

The official with the Housing and Local Government Ministry says authorities found half of more than 5,700 toilets in schools, restaurants, shopping malls and other places were not clean and hygienic.

He says only 7 per cent of the toilets inspected earlier this year got the maximum five stars. More than 51 per cent of the toilets received only one or two stars. The best toilets got cash prices Monday at a celebration of World Toilet Day.

He says it was "disappointing" as the image of the country and people's health were at stake. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday, citing protocol. -AP

Malaysia Chronicle appends below another version

More Than Half Of Public Toilets Nationwide Dirty

Arrghhhh...

KUALA LUMPUR - Despite various measures taken to improve cleanliness of public toilets, an audit shows that about 3,000 or 51.6 per cent of 5,764 public toilets nationwide are dirty.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung said the audit, uisng the star rating method by local authorities, showed 51.6 per cent of the public toilets could only achieve one-star or two-star rating.

Only seven per cent or about 400 toilets achieved the five-star rating for most satisfactory in cleanliness, he said.

"From the data, it is clear that we are still far from achieving a good level of cleanliness for public toilets," he told reporters after launching the National World Toilet Day and Environmental Health Seminar 2010 here Monday.

The star rating method to audit the cleanliness of public toilets was first introduced by the Department of Local Government with the latest audit conducted between March and June this year.

In order to ensure cleanliness of public toilets would be improved, Chor said enforcement by local authorities would be tightened beginning next year and that the operators of unclean public toilets would be brought to book.

He said local authorities had also been instructed to conduct spot checks on the premises twice a year, in addition to their regular inspections.

If such initiatives were not taken, he said it would not only cause sanitation and health problems among the people but also affect the country's image in the eyes of foreign tourists.

"I'm sure that if toilets in petrol stations, restaurants and other public places are dirty, no tourists from developed countries would want to come to Malaysia," he said, adding that everybody was responsible for cleanliness of public toilets. - BERNAMA