Straight from the tap – will you drink like the minister?

Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar, in emphasising that treated water in the country is safe drink, said he consumes water straight from the tap.

Malaysiakini asked other MPs if they would do the same and conducted a poll on Facebook to gauge the public's thoughts. The response was an overwhelming “No”.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh (DAP) said that Jayakumar was not wrong in stating that treated water is safe for consumption but pointed out that the problem lies with the water travelling through the pipes, some of which could be rust-riddled.

"He's not wrong in saying that, it's just people don't understand that from the (water treatment) plant to the house - it is the pipes," she told Malaysiakini.

Yeoh said she would drink directly from the tap but only if filters are installed.

Kubang Kerian MP Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PAS), who hails from Kelantan, believes that "99 percent" of Malaysians do not drink from the tap and he is one of them.

"I have a big filter for my pipe at home. I wash it twice a week and mud water comes out, it's impossible to drink," he said.

Kelantan is known to face constant complaints regarding unclean tap water.

Tuan Ibrahim added that the Health Ministry should conduct tests to convince the people that the water is safe for consumption.

Likewise, Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong (DAP) said he never drinks straight from the tap.

"A lot of households have water filters and if you wash them every week, I don't think you would drink directly from the tap," he added.

Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan (Umno) advised Malaysians not to emulate Jayakumar.

"I would advise the people to drink filtered or boiled water. Don't do what the minister does by drinking from the tap," he said.

Whereas Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi (DAP) said she only drinks boiled water.

"For my constituency, I would definitely not drink directly from the tap because Kluang's water quality has been proven to be quite poor.

"But I do believe there are some other areas in Malaysia, the water concessionaire does provide better quality water so it varies from area to area," she said.

As for Malaysiakini's Facebook poll conducted in three languages, 87 percent of the respondents said they would not drink directly from the tap while 13 percent said otherwise.

A total of 15,600 respondents participated in the 24-hour poll.

Below are the results: