The Transport Ministry will step up monitoring of the cleanliness levels at all transport hubs in the country, especially the toilets at these places.

Its deputy minister Ab Aziz Kaprawi said this measure was aimed at ensuring that the toilets or washrooms at public transport terminals be 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 while bus terminals and train stations also had a role to play in the tourism sector which contributed to economic growth.

"We don’t want the country’s image to be marred by its people’s indifferent attitude towards cleanliness, especially towards keeping the 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 work operators who neglect their responsibility in this aspect.”

Ab Aziz said this to reporters after launching the Malaysia Airports ‘Pay It Forward’ campaign at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) initiated by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), with its managing director Badlisham Ghazali also present.

The deputy minister wants all transport hubs in the country to emulate KLIA in maintaining cleanliness of toilets/washrooms as the public facilities at the country’s main gateway are well maintained, achieving five-star rating in the Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

Ab Aziz said to ensure the public facilities at the airport terminal which had been operating since 1998 were always in good condition, MAHB as the operator had carried out various improvements to the extent of 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 in maintaining the public facilities, MAHB had short and long-term plans to increase the cleaning contractor from one to three as well as to upgrade the 131 toilet rooms at KLIA in stages, with the work expected to be completed by 2019.

- Bernama