On a mission: Nga hopes to flush out dirty and out of order public toilets. —Facebook

… but somebody’s gotta do it. Malaysians must make sure that our kids are taught the importance of cleanliness from young.

STAND-UP comedian Marissa Wong is known for her jokes on the state of Malaysian toilets. In fact, she’s probably the only one who reviews toilets and shares her findings on social media. Believe it or not, at last count, she has conducted over 100 inspections.

Some find her toilet jokes off colour, but they hit the spot for most of us. The truth sometimes hurts, and in this case, it’s really no laughing matter. Unfortunately, we have many bad public toilets and equally bad personal practices.

Newly-minted Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming appears to have endeavoured to push for clean public toilets and has even conducted checks on these basic amenities. It’s hard to ignore it seeming like a personal crusade.

His first stop was Dataran Merdeka, soon after clocking out from his office on Jan 3.

The Teluk Intan MP deserves praise for his efforts, but we hope he has the stamina, determination and drive to persevere through his campaign.

It looks daunting because he will need the support of the local authorities, which comes under his purview. Those of us who’ve dealt with powerful bodies will know how difficult it is to move them.

There are more than 200,000 public toilets under the jurisdiction of the local authorities.

This initiative could be dead in the water should the Malaysian public not have good practices. Nga could be taking on Mission: Impossible.

For success story references, we don’t need to look too far. The toilets in Taiwan and, naturally, Japan, are always clean and dry. The amenities work perfectly, and cleaners take pride in their jobs.

It wouldn’t be fair to merely pin the blame on local authorities because many of our restaurants and coffee shops have filthy toilets, too.

For reasons only known to these outlet owners, many don’t have toilet rolls either. Disturbingly, sometimes, toilet rolls are placed on tables in some eateries to be used as serviettes. It looks like these food operators can’t tell the difference between them.

Airports, railway and bus stations would probably come under a different jurisdiction, and these are also gateways for tourists.

We wish Nga the best for his noble plan, but he isn’t the first to harbour this desire.

The DAP national vice-chairman is right to say that the cleanliness of public toilets is closely related to the image of Malaysia, especially at prime tourist destinations or gateways to our country.

“Doubtlessly, ‘BMW’ standard public toilets, namely Bersih (clean), Menawan (attractive) and Wangi (fragrant), will go a long way to increase the positive perception of the people towards the local authorities.”

Nga hopes that all the 155 local authorities across the country can establish public toilet hygiene monitoring units to conduct scheduled maintenance work to ensure that public toilets nationwide are always in a clean, well-functioning and orderly condition.

In the early 2000s, the late Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew had the same intentions. He was even nicknamed Malaysia’s “toilet king” and until he became Deputy Transport Minister in 2004, his tireless effort for clean public toilets was described as “unfinished business”, in his own words to the media.

Lau, who was the MP for Sibu, is best remembered for setting up the first toilet association in Malaysia – Quality Restroom Association Malaysia (QRAM) – of which he was chairman since its inception in 2005.

Nga has said he would meet Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah, saying he is committed to finding the best solution so that infrastructure or public facilities built with the people’s money can be looked after and maintained properly.

But he might want to seek support from the Education Ministry too because, ultimately, the education process starts with students in schools.

School toilets are atrocious, so students must be taught from an early age about the importance of cleanliness to instil proper habits. In fact, it should even begin at the kindergarten stage.

That’s how Japanese kids are taught – to be orderly, queue up, and make sure to put your eating trays in the designated spots once you’re done with your meals.

It’s imperative to align with the respective religious bodies because cleanliness is a vital component among all religions.

There’s also no reason why our toilets must always be wet – stop at any rest and recreation area along the highways and the toilets always seem to be wet.

YB, since housing is also under your jurisdiction, Malaysians have often wondered why our toilet faucets have no handles or levers. It should really be compulsory for all developments.

We hope his efforts will put a shine on our water closets, otherwise everything will just get flushed down the toilet.

And we know exactly what happens if we’re divided.

IF 2022 was an extraordinary year, in which Malaysia ended up with a hung government after the general election, followed by the formation of a Unity Government, then we can expect 2023 to be an equally fast-paced one.

The real test for our new Prime Minister and his Cabinet members will finally begin. The 100 days will be over soon, and Malaysians will be especially critical by the time that period ends.

There is sufficient time to learn the ropes at their respective ministries, so they will come under greater scrutiny then, and rightly so, too.

The most important matter will be on Feb 23 when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to present the 2023 Budget.

The three-week Dewan Rakyat meeting, starting Feb 13, will be allocated entirely for the process of presenting the Budget since previously only a mini budget was tabled.

It will be an important speech because we expect strong financial headwinds this year, but with China reopening its borders, we also hope that its trading with the world will resume since consumer confidence remains strong.

The news, for the moment, concerns Chinese visitors bringing their Covid-19 problems to our shores, but what is not highlighted is that the republic’s logistics systems will now pick up steam again.

Many of us recall watching Anwar presenting his Budget speech as finance minister 30 years ago under the Mahathir administration. It was a four-hour long affair, and it was the longest on record.

Flowery, ostentatious and uncommon Bahasa Malaysia words were used, which gave the media a massive headache, as pressmen tried to make sense of it. I know because I covered it as a Parliament reporter.

With due respect, Datuk Seri, please keep your upcoming Budget speech short and precise. Use simple Bahasa Malaysia words.

Some references to religion and literature will be tolerated, though unnecessary. It won’t help us economically, so get to the point.

In Britain, the Chancellor’s speech is only about 15 minutes, so we surely don’t need a marathon session to get points across.

A challenge for the government would be to raise revenue, including via tax collection. While the Goods and Services Tax (GST) remains the most effective approach, we can be sure that it won’t surface for a while at least.

A weak government made up of different political parties would not easily facilitate talk of GST, which is unfortunate because the GST has the best net spread in collecting consumption taxes.

Given the lack of political goodwill, we shouldn’t be surprised if pressure is continually applied on high imports and excise duties on liquor, cigarettes and gambling. Ultimately, it shouldn’t be too prohibitive, though.

Let’s be honest, PAS state governments shutting down legitimate gaming operators may make the party look good to its supporters, but it will only benefit the illegal bookies.

Each year, the government loses about RM2bil in taxes due to illegal gambling. It’s ironic because the criminals and corrupt enforcement officers escape richer while tax-paying gaming companies, number forecast operators (NFOs) and breweries end up paying the price even though they contributed RM1.86bil in income taxes in the last two financial years.

There’s no need for more draws but let NFOs conduct online gaming. It will help generate more tax revenue without increasing the frequency of draws.

Right now, the illegal establishments even accept bets via WhatsApp, while NFOs can’t, which makes little sense.

In the case of breweries, there’s an estimated tax revenue loss of RM1bil a year because of illicit alcohol, caused mainly by smuggling at the borders, especially between Sarawak, Kalimantan and Brunei. Likewise, the Thai border.

Common sense and practicality are needed in dealing with these issues, but unfortunately, our politicians prefer to take the easy way out.

Even if PAS comes to power and imposes a Taliban-style regime, gambling, drinking and even prostitution will still exist. If not, consumers will just cross over to Thailand, like they do in Kelantan.

We surely can’t afford to keep giving special allowances to our civil servants and pensioners.

Previous Barisan Nasional government leaders assumed the civil service was a fixed asset and continuous bonuses were offered believing that civil servants would remain loyal to Umno, in particular.

But civil servants have their dignity and pride. The Putrajaya parliamentary constituency was ceded to Perikatan Nasional in the recent general election.

If Malaysia wants to compete on the global stage and attract multinational companies to Malaysia, it shouldn’t be overly concerned by putting qualified non-Malays in government-linked corporations. We’re at a point where Malays are already qualified and confident enough.

As China and India become more important, we should tap Malaysian assets with our traditional links to these two countries. Malaysia has an advantage that other Asean countries don’t, Singapore apart, of course.

Malaysia can’t continue with the old ways of doing things. This is 2023. The world has become more diverse with multi-ethnicity regarded as a source of pride and an asset.

Even a conservative society like Saudi Arabia has changed. It was unimaginable before, but some degree of liberalism has permeated its society now.

Malaysians want Anwar to succeed and stay on because we simply can’t afford another change of PM. It would be disastrous otherwise.

He has succeeded in becoming the first PM from a multi-racial party and is now the head of a Unity Government comprising different coalitions.

It’s truly a remarkable achievement. The jury was out on him becoming PM, but he has, and now he only needs to leave a legacy behind. He just needs to do what is right for Malaysia because he has nothing to lose at his age.

There will be bumps in 2023 because six months from now, state elections will be held in Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Negri Sembilan.

The relationship of the partners in the Unity Government will be tested as they could compete against each other, and Perikatan may end up the beneficiary again. Meanwhile, the party polls in Umno will also have an impact on the Unity Government if there’s a leadership change.

It’s a double-edged sword because if the status quo remains, it will make renewal and revitalisation in Umno difficult.

But there are bigger things than politics in 2023. We have already wasted too much time on it, so let’s roll up our sleeves and do the real work instead.

Malaysia needs to be back on the world stage for the right reasons, and it feels like there’s plenty of goodwill now towards our nation. So let’s not throw it away.

Wishing all Malaysians a Happy New Year and may 2023 be a good and productive one for all of us, especially in uniting Malaysians.

… is for good grace and love to permeate for a brighter future.

IT’S Christmas Day and certainly the best time of the year for many of us. So, I’ll rein in any negative thoughts that could ruin this wonderful season.

No whining or complaining, as much as I want to rant about the relentless uncouth and disrespectful Members of Parliament, both old and new, who continue to make a mockery of themselves. Making caricatures of themselves is fine, but not at our expense.

We now have a new government, a new prime minister and pleasingly, the usual recalcitrant lawmakers are gone. Yet somehow, it looks like we have an archaic MP, now on the opposition side, and would you know it, a greenhorn backbencher MP who’s trying to carve a niche for himself with his antics.

Once more though, why spoil the holiday! I’ll stop at that. They won’t be allowed to sully this season and they are also not worthy of premium newsprint space.

Despite being a minority in this country, I am just thankful that as Christians, we can celebrate this festival openly and peacefully. It’s also a national public holiday, which reflects the day’s official recognition.

I continue to get Christmas greetings from Malaysians of all races and religions, including my many Muslim relatives, friends and colleagues.

They seem unperturbed by those with narrow interpretations of religion who impose their self-serving views on them.

It’s important to note that some of our Rulers, even as guardians of Islam, have publicly released annual Christmas messages.

And when a few Muslim friends privately tell me that they are uncomfortable wishing me Merry Christmas for religious reasons, I respect their decision, because I know they mean well. Instead, they wish me in a different way, which is fine.

I can live with that. Fundamentally, they’ve at least not forgotten me.

But many Malaysians have expressed their concerns and fears of how the so-called Green Tsunami, led by PAS, is sweeping the country. The moderates need to do better in muting the sound bites of the Islamist party.

There is still hope for this country, as there always has been. The formation of the Unity Government proves that no party can hope to rule this country by itself.

By now, PAS too, must have realised that despite their big gains from GE15, they can’t expect to form a government unless they have the backing of non-Muslims, and even Muslims.

It’s politically unhealthy for politicians to win votes by pitting others as bogeymen by name-calling their opponents communists, Jewish conspirators and Christians, and incredibly, even others as LGBT supporters, branding them all enemies.

This comes from someone who claims to be religious and pious, and yet, blamed non-Muslims for being the cause of corruption in this country.

It’s equally disturbing to hear some politicians asking what is wrong with PAS, since it has purportedly ruled well in Kelantan, refuting accusations likening the party to the Taliban.

Of course, there’s a lot that is unsound, particularly the rules imposed there ranging from the ban on unisex hair salons and cinemas to even destroying Malay culture.

There may be Buddhist and Hindu temples there, but it’s very likely that open Christmas celebrations at malls will not be tolerated.

We are now hearing certain politicians saying the existing secular political system cannot be accepted in Malaysia. They have completely ignored what our founding fathers wanted and enshrined in the Constitution.

On this occasion, I hope Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other ministers will attend the national Christmas celebration or those hosted by the churches, to send the message that Malaysia embraces diversity.

As Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim of G25 said, “I hope DS Anwar will make it a point to wish all Malaysians Merry Christmas as a gesture of goodwill to the Christians. In a multiracial, multi religious country, all communities should join in the celebrations whenever each community has its festival day.”

In Palestine, the Arab population is Muslim and Christian. They have no issue with enjoying each other’s religious festivals. The late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat attended church prayers on Christmas eve. Of course, he did not recite any prayers – he was there in church to show solidarity with the Palestinian Christians as they prayed for Christmas.

This is a moderate country and as even Saudi Arabia becomes more progressive, we shouldn’t allow those who embrace regression to push ahead with their dangerous and archaic agenda.

But we must forgive and pray for these politicians with parochial political views, with the belief that “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Let there be peace and love on Earth, especially in our beloved Malaysia, and may I wish Malaysians celebrating Christmas a joyous one and for others, enjoy the yearend holidays with your loved ones.

Careful balance: Pakatan and Anwar have won the support of many non-Malays but now he may need to fall back on his Islamic and nationalist roots to win over the country’s dominant Malay-Muslim population. – Bernama

IT was a three-hour meeting that was broadcast on Facebook. The gathering of over 300 Islamic scholars, theologians and non-governmental organisation representatives was the first by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim since being appointed Prime Minister.

Anwar, more than anyone else, understands the importance of a sound narrative and optics.

More so when the rival party, PAS, has gained significantly in the recently concluded general election. Talk of a “Green Tsunami” – which saw the Islamist party secure 49 parliamentary seats from the previous 18 in the last general election – has gripped the nation’s attention.

Seri Perdana, the official home of the PM, was picked for the unprecedented meeting, dubbed the Mahabbah program, which means “love” in Arabic.

The Parti Keadilan Rakyat president has chosen to stay at his Kajang residence in Selangor, and not the sprawling Seri Perdana.

Anwar knows the importance of polishing his Islamic credentials ahead of the series of state elections in the middle of 2024.

The Perikatan Nasional, via PAS, appears to have the upper hand now, seemingly in control of the conservative Malay votes, and some say, even the Undi18 youth votes. The political wave has certainly spooked many non-Muslims with PAS’ brand of Islam, and if left unchecked, would even have serious implications to how Malaysia is shaped.

Whatever way you look at it, the Pakatan Harapan coalition is perceived as a liberal and multiracial group with little emphasis on Islamic politics, thanks to the effective social media campaigning by PAS. The Islamist party has blatantly dubbed DAP and Christians as the bogeymen, with total disregard for the sensitivities of other Malaysians. But Anwar can’t be breaking into PAS strongholds without using Islam as part of his agenda, too.

He must be careful in balancing his act though, by telling his audience at the Mahabbah program that he would emphasise moderation and the problems facing the Malays “as well as Indians and Orang Asli and the people of Sabah and Sarawak.”

He pledged his commitment to “break the culture of corruption” and “support the system of ethics.”

In a recent meeting between editors and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the journalists were also told that moderation would be a key component of the PM’s agenda.

On Friday, Prof Dr Gamal Farouq Ad-Daqaq Al-Azahari was invited to speak at Seri Perdana.

The 62-year-old, a distinguished scholar who studied at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, is also an expert in Islamic jurisprudence.

The on-going series of Islamic programmes at Seri Perdana has grabbed the attention of Muslims and has explicitly sent a powerful message that Islam is not the monopoly of PAS leaders, especially its president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Like it or not, the acceptance of prominent overseas Islamic scholars is regarded an endorsement of Anwar.

There will be some who will ask if Anwar is attempting to compete with PAS on the Islamic platform. However, this wouldn’t be something new to Anwar because he began as the head of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) or Malaysian Islamic Youth movement in 1971 at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Anwar was the Abim president from 1974-82, and he built the movement into a significant presence in Malaysian politics, so much so, he was even addressed as “Pak Sheikh” by many.

He caught the attention of then PM, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who recruited Anwar into Umno in 1982 to check on PAS, but Anwar carefully built his reformist image, and as a Muslim democrat instead of a hardliner.

He was instrumental in the setting up of the International Islamic University in Gombak, Selangor, where he also served as its president. Fast forward to now, and PH has won the support of the west coast electorate, especially the non-Malays. However, he may now need to fall back on his Islamic and nationalist roots to win over the country’s dominant Malay-Muslim population.

He must re-emphasise his Islamic credentials while parading his international appeal.

While most leaders host their international counterparts privately, Anwar openly displays his meetings with them to the media, or via social media even. The calls that matter to the Muslim world were from renowned theologian Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He’s aware that the PH government can’t let PAS control the race and religion narrative.

But neither can he afford to let religion be the focus of his administration as his handling of the economy in the choppy waters of 2023 will consume his time as the PM.

It will be a real test for Anwar leading Malaysia as the first PM from a multi-racial party paired with his brand of politics, which emphasises moderation and Islam.

While speaking at a forum in Indonesia in 1995, Anwar coined the term “Masyarakat Madani” or civil society, which promotes moderation and the basic principles of a plural society.

He has taken it a step further since then, with the SCRIPT formula, which stands for sustainability, care and compassion, respect, innovation, prosperity, and trust, which are certainly values of Islam.

Ultimately though, Anwar will be judged on his performance as the PM and not his slogan. Anwar is the best person to effectively check the kind of Islam being pushed by PAS, which will be disastrous for Malaysia.