THE discovery of a MyKad and driver’s license – apparently belonging to a youth from Padang Besar, Perlis – that was found in Levadne, Zaporizhia, a conflict zone in Ukraine, has garnered much interest.

The family of the 20-year-old Malaysian said he was a student, but Wisma Putra was unable to confirm its authenticity and is seeking more information from relevant authorities for confirmation.

The found documents were among the “trophies” taken by Russian forces.

In January, Free Malaysia Today reported the Ukrainian military as claiming that Malaysians were among those serving as mercenaries alongside Russians in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

The report claimed that mercenaries from Malaysia, accompanied by a translator, were spotted in the region, a large area under the control of Russian forces and their proxies since 2014.

The Malaysian in question is said to be associated with the 16th Rifle Battalion of Ukraine, which is engaged in combat against the Russian army.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain told Bernama that Special Branch officers from Bukit Aman have reached out to the Russian Embassy on the matter.

Paid foreign mercenaries and adventure seekers have been part of the ongoing war since it broke out in 2022.

There have been numerous reports of Britons who showed up in Ukraine to fight the Russians after answering President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to foreigners. There have also been reported fatalities involving these Britons.

At least 50 Americans, mostly US Army veterans, have died, according to the list published by the Task & Purpose portal, which reports on US military matters.

It reported that most of the Americans were killed in battle while others died while providing humanitarian assistance.

The first wave of foreign fighters, reportedly over 17,000 of them, came in from 2014-2019 during the war in Donbas, with a second wave starting from 2022.

Since 2022, foreigners supporting Russians include those from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Latvia, according to reports. Some are members of the Russian diaspora, who signed up for ideological reasons, while others are said to be mercenaries.

The BBC reported on Sept 18 that 91 Indians joined the Russians – but the Indian fighters later claimed they had been duped and asked to be rescued.

Al-Jazeera reported in April that the Russians were paying Indians, Sri Lankans and Nepalese to fight in the war, which had the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It also quoted a Nepali mercenary saying that Tajik and Afghan fighters had been sent straight to the frontline.

What about Americans and Europeans? The official line is that no US Army marines are involved in front-line combat but one report said there were 97 special forces fighters from NATO countries operating in Ukraine, including 14 from the United States.

When asked by the Guardian newspaper for confirmation, the US Department of Defense (DOD) said: “We are not going to discuss or confirm classified information due to the potential impact on national security as well as the safety and security of our personnel and those of our allies and our partners.” The Pentagon has not issued any denial either.

While 14 special forces fighters sounds like a drop in the bucket, these revelations are just a drop in the trickle of other information over the last year that, when added up, leaves more questions than answers. The bottom line, says military analyst (Ret) Lt Col Daniel Davis, is that Americans have a right to know.

”It is entirely appropriate that the American people know, authoritatively,” reported the Responsible Statecraft, the online magazine of the Quincy Institute.

The US Department of State has officially said it has provided more than US$64.1bil in military assistance since Russia launched its premeditated, unprovoked and brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022, and approximately US$66.9bil in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

”We have now used the emergency Presidential Drawdown Authority on 55 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine military assistance totalling approximately US$31.7bil from DOD stockpiles,” it said.

Now, we read of about 8,000 to 10,000 North Koreans, paid or otherwise, in Russia near the Ukraine border.

It’s a large number and the world can assume that they are well trained. Unlike the rickety combatants from poor South Asian countries, US veterans or mercenaries, the appearance of the North Koreans, if true, is a different game altogether.

The outcome of the US presidential elections will also be another factor. If Trump wins, he may stop having any interest in Ukraine as he does not see it as a US problem. The plus side is he may push for an end to the war by bringing both Putin and Zalesky to the negotiating table.

It’s raining men: The Great British Circus, which has toured Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam for the past 10 years, has little choice but to adapt to local conditions to stay afloat. — Great British Circus

WITH important matters like Budget 2025, the economy, and the rising value of the ringgit gripping the country, it was a news item that went almost unnoticed.

Malaysia is staging what is, presumably, the world’s first male- only circus performance – in Kelantan – which will run until Nov 17.

It made global history and the news received the attention of Singapore’s The Straits Times, the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, and various online news portals.

The Great British Circus, which has toured Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam for the past 10 years, has little choice as it attempts to adapt to local conditions to stay afloat.

The cash-strapped modern circus no longer has animals, as they are costly. Also, they are no longer acceptable.

That must have come as a relief for the circus. Otherwise, the PAS-led Kelantan state government may have insisted that animals must fall under the gender restriction ruling and that only male animals could be used.

The condition was set by the Kelantan government, according to the state’s Local Government, Housing, Health, and Environment committee chairman Hilmi Abdullah, the media reported. The Kota Baru Municipal Council gave the circus’ organisers the licence to perform in the city.

“Other circus shows feature female performers who expose parts of their bodies and do not cover their aurat, which is against Islamic law,’’ he was quoted as saying.

The Great British Circus agreed to the conditions set by the council, in compliance with a 2002 ruling, and we presume the female performers will have to stay back as helpers or make up the audience.

We know the Kelantan government does not allow hair salons to display posters of women with uncovered hair or risk having their licenses revoked. But an all-male circus sets new standards.

In 2013, the council even acted against salon owners who put up posters of non-Muslim women who did not cover their heads. This is exactly what has happened in Afghanistan.

In the case of Kota Baru, the ruling also applies to non-Muslims, which is clearly against the Federal Constitution and infringes the rights of non-Muslims.

In August, the Terengganu government prohibited the Guan Ti temple from holding a concert in an open space and also banned female performers.

State executive councillor Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah said the council had approved the application from the temple for a celebration which included compliance with the state’s guidelines on such events.

“’According to the guidelines, performances involving female artistes are only allowed for female audiences. However, exceptions are made for performances by male and female artistes for non-Muslim audiences,’’ he reportedly said.

Last month, as Pahang PAS leaders called for the closure of the Genting Highlands casino if it captures the state government, its national information leader Ahmad Fadhli Shaari played down fears, saying “such decisions fall under the Federal Government’s jurisdiction” and that the party would not impose a “Taliban state’’ on non-Muslims.

The reality is that most non-Muslims, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, are not going to be convinced.

In fact, the push by PAS to implement its extreme approaches has probably become more hardline in recent years.

PAS can open its doors to non-Muslims, but that will not remove their negative perception towards the Islamist party.

The only one who seems convinced is Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau, what’s left of Gerakan, and some opportunistic partners.

It makes no difference because PAS has run a contradictory agenda all along. On the one hand, it says it wishes to win over the non-Muslims, but on the other, its religious and even racial rhetoric keeps getting louder.

Selangor PAS, in hopes of winning more seats in the state, is now regurgitating the party’s old “PAS for All’’ slogan of the Nik Aziz era, but it cannot hope to convince non-Muslims with a mere slogan.

It has a poor record – if not a non-existent one – of being fair, respectful, and tolerant of a multi-racial Malaysia.

PAS leaders have continuously ask non-Muslims to visit Kelantan, believing it is a shiny, exemplary state government when most of them think that it is one of the worst-run state governments.

Many talented Kelantanese have moved to the federal capital because the PAS government has little to offer despite having been in power for decades.

The thing is, many PAS leaders have actually started to believe in their own propaganda.

But most non-Muslims do not see PAS – a religion-based party – as one that can run a modern economy.

Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has been touted as an upcoming PAS leader with an impressive track record, but he has little engagement outside his state.

Most senior journalists in Kuala Lumpur do not have any real interaction with PAS leaders as they choose to turn down invitations for meetings to exchange views, apparently because of their distrust of the mainstream media.

PAS politicians may be able to win in states which are predominantly Malay, such as Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis, and Terengganu, but they cannot run Malaysia without the non-Malays in the peninsula, and Sabah and Sarawak.

It’s the same for Umno firebrands like Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who continues to play the Malay hero persona – but he would eventually have to realise that many parties, including Umno, would have preferred that he stayed low-key during recent by-elections.

In short, he is a liability as far as non-Muslims are concerned. His arrogance and presence simply turn them off.

Even in his own Merlimau state constituency in Melaka, he would still need the support of non-Muslim voters, but at the rate he is overplaying his masculine image with his outrageous racist remarks and posturing, it could come back eventually haunt him.

It is easy to be the champion of our own race and religion but much harder to be a hero for all Malaysians of all beliefs.

A ‘royal hustle’: The King of Borneo scam (top) was recently exposed by the MCA Public Service and Complaints Department and Majlis Datuk-Dato Malaysia. — TheStarTV screen capture

NOT too long ago, a Mandarin-speaking person was proclaimed the King of Borneo, Sulu, and Mindanao.

Preposterous as it may seem, it actually did happen.

The man accepted the position in a well-attended ceremony which included another person dressed up like a British judge in a big red robe to give the impression that it had legal recognition. The act also included a Caucasian couple to lend an air of pomp, and possibly an international presence.

Several other individuals at the ceremony claimed to be representatives of the indigenous people of Borneo and there was also a “vice chairman of the United Nations peace foundation’’.

All were smartly attired, with the purported investiture properly recorded on video.

Malaysians have grown accustomed to people accepting titles, possibly after paying large sums of money, from so-called royalty from the Philippines, especially from Mindanao, but the King of Borneo award beats them all.

The exposé of the fake installation was made by MCA Public Service and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong and Majlis Datuk-Dato Malaysia (MDDM) secretary-general Datuk Samson David Manan.

The fake Datukships, as well as unrecognised foreign awards, run against articles in Act 787 of the Laws of Malaysia.

In simple language, it is an offence to use the honorific of Datuk or Tan Sri if you are not one. It is also punishable to use an unrecognised award from Mindanao, for example.

Recently, at a forum on “Act 787 – Preserving the Dignity of Honorary Titles” organised by MDDM in Kuala Lumpur, participants were told of a case where two individuals, proclaiming themselves to be Datuks, drove to the office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Putrajaya in a car bearing the MACC crest.

They were in the building to lodge a report, but the crest caught the eye of some MACC officers, who felt something was amiss. The two men did not lodge reports. Instead, they were nabbed on the spot.

As it turned out, they were not Datuks. It was bizarre.

During the forum, Samson also talked about three individuals, all Malaysians, who passed themselves off as Tan Sris.

They included a woman, who has since been arrested for cheating; she used her social media platforms to proclaim her title brazenly, assuming that no one would know.

Dressed up smartly and looking every inch a professional in her picture, she offered financial advise and branded herself a speaker, entrepreneur, and investor.

What the MDDM would like to do is to have her charged for using a fake Tan Sri title, too.

Another man, an insurance salesman, passed himself off as Tan Sri Datuk Dr, which was an easy way to detect him. It was just too much, to put it simply.

There are also many who were actual Datuks but upgraded themselves to be a Datuk Sri, a title from Pahang. When confronted by MDDM, they claimed they had been cheated by scammers who told them they had been promoted.

A Datuk Seri is different from a Datuk Sri but to avoid complications the media has standardised these titles, which can differ from state to state.

There are also so many variations of the Datuk titles – Datuk Seri, Datuk Sri, Datuk Paduka, Datin Paduka, Dato’, Datuk Wira, and Datuk Patinggi (depending on the states) – that it has become confusing, even for the media.

Samson said the council deals with an average of 30 cases a month involving fraudulent honorary titles, adding that “almost every day, I receive reports from people asking for help”.

“We guide them on what to do and one of the steps is to lodge a police report,’’ he said.There was also a case where an entire family – the father, mother, sisters, and brothers – claimed to be Datuks.

Then there is a well-known speaker, in his early 30s, who also called himself a Datuk, but a simple check showed he was fake. After being exposed, his social media was filled with negative comments.

One reason why these people want to be titled is because they believe it would add value to themselves and help to scam and cheat the public, who believe they are honourable people. Many of us perceive that these titles could be bought.

After all, we have rightly questioned why certain people are being awarded a Datukship when they had not contributed to society, or worse, some have dubious backgrounds.

It is common for MDDM to receive complaints involving businessmen with fake Datukships, but now there are allegations that some lawyers and accountants tried to pass themselves off as Datuks.

Then there is a high profile chiropractor who has a Datuk title but advertised himself as Datuk Sri. A simple check showed there are no “records” of him getting a Datuk Sri. He received a call from MDDM to take it down.

MDDM president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said the council has submitted a proposal for improvements and amendments to Act 787 to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Legal and Institutional Reform) and the Attorney General, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and enforcement of the Act.

Among the proposals is to increase fines and penalties for certain offences under the Act as a deterrent against the misuse of honorary titles, with Awalan saying “this would also enable specific legal cases to be escalated to higher courts”.

The MDDM has even come across two commoners who claimed to have the Darjah Kerabat (DK) awards, which are only conferred on the Malay Rulers.

There is also a need for the Rulers to automatically revoke the titles of anyone who has been convicted of a crime or, worse, already serving a jail sentence. Surely it will be odd for prison wardens –even as a mockery – to still address a prisoner as Datuk.

Even gangsters are Datuks.

In 2017, it was reported that a notorious gang of 60 hardened criminals included four low-level politicians with the titles of Datuk and a Datuk Seri. The Gang 360 Devan gang, involved in murder, drug pushing, luxury car theft, and hijacking, must be the gang with the greatest number of title bearers.

Then there was the leader of the notorious Gang 24, who was a Datuk Seri. He was among 22 men held in another spate of arrests.

There should also be a minimum age for recipients as it does not make sense for a teenager to be conferred a Datuk title, for example.

The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has set the example. He has imposed strict conditions, including a minimum age of 45, for a person to be conferred the state’s Datukship.

It’s bad enough that there are already so many titled Malaysians, now we have so many more fake ones as well.

There is a need to protect the value and sanctity of these awards which are conferred by the Rulers, and to ensure these awards are not made a mockery of.

These cheats can be easily verified with a click via www.istiadat.gov.my, and they should be exposed and shamed.

These scammers and cheaters need to be stopped. The reason they dare to be impostors is because they believe they can get away with it as the police have more urgent cases on their plate.

Much to love: Visitors taking a boat ride in a scenic lake at Gunung Lang Recreational Park. Its 260-million-year-old limestone hills make Ipoh a gem with beautiful natural surroundings. — Filepic/The Star

LET’S face the facts about Ipoh. Perak’s capital is still struggling to reinvent itself after having lost its shine following the collapse of the tin mining industry.

It didn’t help that the opening of the North-South Expressway in 1981 saw most people choosing to bypass Ipoh and drive straight north or south.

But there are still many who have chosen to move to Ipoh for what it offers: a slower pace of life, cultural offerings such as food, affordability, the hospitality of its people, and its cleanliness.

Certainly, the nightlife and shopping are not reasons to keep going back to Ipoh. Instead, it’s the centuries-old shophouses in the Old Town, natural and historical sites, especially its 260-million-year-old limestone hills, caves and jungles, that visitors want.

The relaxed life is the attraction. Many of my friends from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have chosen to retire in Ipoh, also because of its lower cost of living.

It has become a gem in its own way with beautiful natural surroundings while being just about a two-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.

So the last thing people want is for Ipoh to become another concrete jungle like New York City. What on earth was Ipoh Mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin thinking when he said recently that Ipoh could become another Big Apple?

He reportedly said residents of Ipoh must have the right attitude to reflect the international recognition the city is receiving.

“People are looking at Ipoh; therefore, we need to do better,” he said.

Ipoh should not be a New York, not even a Kuala Lumpur or a version of George Town.

The silver state has its own strong distinct character.

The comparison with New York is far-fetched and impractical. The comparison is also a bad one because New York is not well-run. It may look glamorous in the movies but its transport system, especially the subway, has long been in shambles, with a host of well-known issues from homeless people to drugs and crime.

The New York Times reported that “New York City, for all its glory, is facing many problems: record levels of homelessness; a budget teetering on the brink; stubborn crime rates. But it also has a problem small in size too: rats. Millions of them.”

The Big Apple is also one of the world’s most expensive cities in the world, with an acute housing problem. Ipoh’s Mayor could have made a much more humble and practical comparison: Adelaide in Australia is a possible example to emulate. In comparison with Sydney and Melbourne, it is always dismissed as a sleepy hollow, but there is really nothing wrong with that.

It has excellent education facilities with most parents believing their teenage children should be sent to universities there without big city distractions.

Supported by good facilities and a well-run administration, Adelaide is in many ways like Ipoh, with plenty of greenery around, and hidden gems to be found a short drive outside the city.

Perak can also promote itself more as a preferred choice for tertiary education as there are at least 12 universities in the state, with four in Ipoh itself.

It should also push to have more branch campuses of international universities.

Another possible Australian city to benchmark against could be Perth, which is probably the nearest to Malaysia, and is known for its quiet and laid-back lifestyle that provides opportunities for work-life balance.

There are also plenty of Chinese cities which have already bypassed New York, London, and Paris in attractiveness and their vast network of public transport.

These are also safer in comparison with big cities in the United States and Europe but the drawback in these Chinese cities is their huge population and competitiveness.

Ipoh needs to sell itself better. In fact, Perak needs to sell itself better.

As Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah said in his book, Globalisation: Perak’s Rise, Relative Decline, and Regeneration, the state’s biggest problem is that it has not progressed as much as Johor, Penang, and Selangor, experiencing slower structural transformation, while those other states have seen rapid industrial development.

Penang, for example, had already set up a free-trade zone as early as 1970, and started setting up assembly plants then, creating jobs on a large scale and attracting workers from neighbouring states, including Perak.

Penang has gone up in value as it has become the centre for the production of semiconductor microchips.

“As gaps in income and job opportunities with neighbouring states widened, Perak began to lose population. A negative-feedback loop has been created in which a shrinking base of human capital has narrowed economic opportunities and has propagated further out-migration of talent that the state so badly needs,’’ the Asia-Europe Institute said.

Perak began to start relying on the export of agricultural and manufactured goods, tourism, and education but this was not sufficient.

Sultan Nazrin Shah has compared Perak with the town of Cornwall in Britain and Pittsburgh in the United States.

Cornwall’s last operational tin mine closed in 1998, leaving it as one of the poorest counties.

Between 1961 and 2011, it had one of the highest levels of emigration in Britain but Cornwall has worked hard to rebrand itself. It has a university with research strengths in engineering, the sciences, and renewable energy through the University of Exeter’s branch campus in west Cornwall.

Mining companies have begun exploring for lithium and copper there.

Perak, especially Ipoh, needs to capitalise on what it has, in terms of tourism.

Day trippers will not help the state in terms of supporting the hotels and restaurants in a big way. They are merely visitors, not tourists who spend money and stay in hotels.

Its activities are not sufficiently publicised although 2024 is Visit Perak Year. There seems to be a lack of coordination among stakeholders.

Mayor Rumaizi, however, was right to point out that China has leaped very far in the past two decades, and there is no reason why Ipoh cannot do the same in terms of mindsets and development.

And Ipoh must be commended for its “Doughnut Economics” ambition.

It received the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award recently for its efforts to transition from a resource-intensive economy to a regenerative model focused on health, waste management, and ecotourism, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The “Doughnut Economy” is an alternative economic system for a future that meets every person’s basic needs while safeguarding the health of the living world. The visual framework for such sustainable development is shaped like a doughnut according to the book by Kate Raworth, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist.

Ipoh is the first city in Asia to receive this accolade. Well done.

There is still a silver lining for the state. It just needs to sell its narrative better and more effectively.

One thing it does not need to be is another New York, that’s for certain.

All hands on deck: Volunteers Farah Ismail (right) and Christina Yoong joining the Malaysia Clean-Up Day 2024 event in Petaling Jaya last week. However, every day should be a clean-up day, says the writer. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

IT’S not a pleasant job but someone has to do it. Since assuming the post of Housing and Local Government Minister, Nga Kor Ming has made cleaning up our toilets and streets among his key priorities.

He isn’t the first to do so, as previous officials from the ministry have also tried. The late Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew, then Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister, took his job so seriously that he was nicknamed the Toilet King during his term from 1990 to 2010.

He was even inducted into the World Toilet Organisation Hall of Fame for his contribution towards improving and promoting the clean toilet culture.

In 2008, the Sarawak politician was quoted as saying that the days of dirty toilets were numbered. But while it sounded good in the media, it was too much of a tall order.

Until his demise in 2010, he failed to flush away these dirty toilets.

To be fair, there have been improvements at most shopping malls, upmarket restaurants, and to some extent, even the rest and recreation stops along our highways, but most of our coffee shops remain an embarrassment.

It is common to walk into these eateries to find toilet rolls missing with spider webs on the walls and grills.

We brag much about our Malaysian food but unfortunately many of the toilets in these food outlets are in disgraceful condition.

There is even a Malaysian social influencer, @marissa.wwc, who does reviews of our toilets on Instagram. It’s called “Berak Bersama Marisa Wong” – our local authorities should check out her videos. They may spot some familiar places, including tourist sites.

We are coming to the end of 2024 and Nga is now a man on a mission. He wants public toilets to be clean, attractive, and fragrant by next year, to improve the country’s image, especially among foreign tourists. For him, a clean toilet must meet the criteria of BMW – Bersih, Menawan, Wangi.

It’s all part of his preparations for Visit Malaysia Year 2026, which is just 15 months away.

Nga must be commended for his efforts, not just to clean up toilets but the country as a whole.

As part of his zeal to fight litterbugs, his ministry is in the process of amending the 1976 Local Government Act to incorporate community service as a form of punishment for serial litterbugs.

“If we receive approval from the Cabinet and Parliament, the new laws will mean that repeat offenders will not only be fined but will also be required to perform community service.

“Those facing these penalties may be required to wear special uniforms and sweep the streets, or even clean toilets for a minimum of two to four hours,” the minister told reporters after launching Malaysia Clean-Up Day: Mega Cleaning Programme in conjunction with World Clean-Up Day 2024 at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Malaysia Clean-Up Day is a joint initiative by his ministry, the Federal Territories Department, and Kuala Lumpur City Hall, with strategic cooperation from PR1MA Corporation Malaysia and Malakoff Corporation Berhad through Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

The mega cleaning and community service programme has been conducted at 649 locations nationwide, involving various levels of organisations, including state governments, local authorities, ministries, schools, fire stations, PR1MA Residences, People’s Housing Project areas, public parks, neighbourhood associations, and non-governmental organisations.

Nga has rightly said that any form of littering is unacceptable, regardless of whether it is done by a child or the elderly.

The big question, though, is how these laws can be effectively enforced given that local governments, especially in the cities, simply do not have the manpower to carry out the checks? There are laws for almost everything, but many exist only on paper.

Haven’t we all seen rubbish piled up right under a council sign declaring fines for littering?

Most people who stay in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will also tell you that many neighbourhoods, especially their back alleys, have become dirtier due to negligence.

If Nga is not to end up as another minister who failed to achieve his target, even with community service punishment, he needs a whole-of-society effort, and solid backing from all Malaysians. It must be a collective responsibility.

It doesn’t help that contractors working for our local authorities are slacking on their jobs. These contractors, who are paid to clean up our streets, are doing a real lousy job.

It is common to see our drains clogged up and strewn with rubbish, while the gutters stink. Malaysia gets a good amount of rain and there is no excuse for smelly and clogged-up gutters.

So why are our alleys and streets dirty? Blaming the local authorities is the easy part but we are all responsible for this pathetic situation.

The fingers should not just be pointed at local authorities but also the residents, restaurant owners, and workers who treat their neighbourhood as a dumping ground.

I really doubt if our elected representatives and local authority officials have taken the trouble to walk along our streets. And how many of us would take the trouble to file a report with the councils, although it can be done easily online now, but prefer to whine or let the media do the job for us?

Malaysians are too polite, and we avoid confrontations.

None of us would walk up to a restaurant owner or cashier to tell them if their toilets are bad, even though we have the right to give them a stern ticking off as we are the customers.

Malaysians take for granted that coffee shops need not provide toilet rolls. The local authorities must enforce all these rules as part of the annual health requirements for their business licence renewals.

Surely this is not too hard to enforce. We also want to make sure that corrupt health and local officials do not use this as an opportunity to make a quick buck on the side.

Nga should also seek the support of mosques, churches, and temples to back his campaign to clean up our streets and toilets because it is the right thing to do – not just to impress tourists.

These places of worship can help campaign for the need for waste management and environmental cleanliness as it is a requirement in all religions.

We could even take a leaf from Rwanda’s playbook.

In the east African country, the people are required to take part in a national clean up on the last Saturday of every month. It is one of the reasons that the country is renowned for its cleanliness. It was one of the first countries to ban single-use plastic bags and bottles, way back in 2008.

In 2018, I visited Rwanda and saw how they keep the country clean and the strict enforcement against rubbish – visitors are searched for plastics in their luggage at the entry points.

Nga’s mission must also get the support of the schools, and start on our young people.

Our children must be involved in collecting rubbish on school grounds to highlight the point that it isn’t just the job of the cleaners.

School toilets remain nightmares because there are culprits who don’t flush while urinals are often overflowing. Nga has rightly said that “everyone may be educated and have good manners, but personal awareness stems from responsibility”.

There are certain realities that we must face – with rapid urbanisation, the waste generated will increase sharply and there must be proper and efficient waste management systems in tandem.

With VMY2026 coming, we will see an upsurge in visitors but are those who manage our tourist spots ready to keep their places clean? They should not wait for 2026.

Awareness campaigns, stricter regulations, and better waste management practices must be an ongoing process. Let’s clean up Malaysia.

Customs legend: The feisty Anis Rizana is known for her strict approach and compliance management. — Bernama

DATUK Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin has become somewhat of a legend among the staff of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM), although it’s been only a year since she took over the post of director-general.

The country’s first woman Customs chief is known for her strict approach and compliance management.

Accompanied by just her special officer and a bodyguard, she still continues to find time to make regular spot checks to ensure her orders are being carried out.

There is no accompanying entourage and certainly no pre-announced alerts to the branches.

Her first such check was on Sept 27, 2023 – two days after her appointment – when she turned up at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to see for herself the workflow of her officers. She had not even received her uniform at that time and most of the startled officers did not even recognise her. Some were not even aware of her appointment.

Anis Rizana faced her first test when she immediately had to deal with a high-profile case that went viral – the seizure of 622kg of methamphetamine by the Australian Border Force from Malaysia to Australia on Oct 12, 2023, which is one of the largest cases ever in history.

“From that moment, I realised the challenge I had ahead: to build a strong team capable of fulfilling the responsibility of revenue collection, providing trade facilitation, and effectively safeguarding the borders with efficiency, agility, and integrity,” she said.

Anis Rizana declared openly very early in her job that she would not protect officers or personnel found guilty of corruption and abusing their power for personal gain, describing these offences as “unforgivable’’.

At the top of her agenda is corruption. She said corruption has not only tarnished the country’s image and reputation but also affected other staff who are honest and dedicated.

In June, three Customs officers were arrested with several million in cash during a probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), relating to smuggling activities in Port Klang. It’s a blot when other honest officers put their lives on the line while on duty.

In June, smugglers had fired at a Customs officer along the Thai border in Kelantan. We still haven’t forgotten the late deputy director-general Datuk Shaharuddin Ibrahim who was gunned down in Putrajaya in 2013 following a probe into car smuggling activities in Langkawi.

One year later, Anis Rizana has earned herself a reputation, and her stripes, but continues to make spot checks.

One officer told this writer: “Her pictures are now everywhere and, in one case, even on the screen of an officer’s desktop. No one wants to be caught unawares.’’

He said those who asked her indifferently who she was must possibly be still reeling from shock. Anyone meeting this feisty Ipoh-born woman would immediately notice one thing – she talks very fast.

She acts fast too, as the media and officials can verify. She starts work immediately after her morning prayers when her text messages start flying out.

Since assuming her post, the orders given out by her included requiring all Customs officers stationed at all entry points, particularly at Port Klang, to conduct 100% inspections of import and export containers.

Then there is the introduction of the Import-Export Document Management System, which functions as a support system for the import-export assessment process at the Customs entry point in Port Klang, Selangor, starting from the second quarter of 2024.

This system, which will be gradually expanded nationwide, serves as a platform for uploading and reviewing supporting documents once the Customs Declaration Form is submitted by the importer/shipping agent through the system.

In short, it eliminates the manual process and automatically takes away any discrepancies. This provides seamless trade facilitation for importers or shipping agents.

“At the same time, it is an initiative to prevent the consolidation of power in any individual during the screening process of Customs declaration forms,’’ she said.

To put it simply – she wants to stop any opportunity for corruption.

Anis Rizana has a degree in business administration from the Western Michigan University in the United States and a Masters in Business Administration from Universiti Putra Malaysia, but she decided to join MACC, where she served for two years from 2020.

She has also introduced 66 high-tech scanner machines using artificial intelligence at the country’s entry points as well as implementing the use of body-worn cameras.

“A total of 60 units were allocated throughout Malaysia, covering five locations as part of a pilot project for JKDM, namely Putrajaya, KLIA Terminal 1, KLIA Terminal 2, Selangor, and Johor.”

The Customs Department has also acquired enforcement operation vehicles – 28 Isuzu D-Max vehicles were allocated, 19 for use by the Enforcement Operations Branch, and nine for the K9 and Drug Detection Dog Units nationwide.

To further enhance the department’s effectiveness in curbing drug smuggling activities, 20 new drug detection dogs have been deployed across Malaysia.

Anis Rizana accompanying Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan to inspect the AI-equipped baggage scanner at KLIA Terminal 1 recently. — Bernama

Her first-year accolades included the Customs Department achieving a major success with the seizure of 15 containers containing 150.26 million cigarettes, 30 tonnes of tobacco, and 32.5 tonnes of plastic waste, valued at RM118.18mil. This was the largest seizure made by Customs this year.

Then, there is the success of the Enforcement Division, which handled 5,196 cases as of Aug 31, with the value of seized goods, including duties/taxes, amounting to RM1.25bil.

This represents a 42.47% increase from the RM884.26mil for the same period in 2023. According to the recent Illicit Cigarettes Study report, the presence of counterfeit cigarettes in the market showed a decline from 56.4% – almost six of every 10 cigarettes in the market being fake – at the beginning of the year to 54.8% in May.

Bernama also reported that the total revenue collection of the Customs Department has reached RM41.68bil as of Aug 31 this year, far higher than the RM36.13bil for the same period last year.

“This is a remarkable achievement, and it shows that JKDM is on the right track,” said Anis Rizana in the Ruang Bicara programme produced by Bernama TV recently. “[Our] strategy has yielded results.”

Commenting on this year’s revenue collection target, she expressed confidence that Customs will be able to achieve the RM56bil target set by the Finance Ministry.

In the past year, the department managed to collect revenue of RM55.1bil, some 3% higher than the projected rate.

The Customs department has an unusual role – it enforces laws, collects indirect taxes, and facilitates international trade. Other enforcement agencies like the police don’t have to worry about revenue targets.

But the department needs to beef up its manpower to stay effective.

As at Aug 31, its total number of staff members was 14,139 – a small number indeed for a department with such huge responsibilities.

It could also lose over 5,000 staff members to the newly-created Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency under the purview of the Home Ministry.

But the serving Customs officers, especially the men, are getting accustomed to a tough talking and tough acting lady boss.

REALITY has finally bitten PAS painfully.

It cannot hope to form the Federal Government without support from the non-Malay electorate, including those from Sabah and Sarawak.

And it knows that even many Muslim voters in the peninsula, especially those in urban and semi-urban areas, find the PAS brand of politics a little too extreme.

This admission was made by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who told the recent PAS annual gathering that it cannot capture Putrajaya with Malay votes alone.

All political party gatherings have plenty of chest-thumping rhetoric and drummed up optimism for the diehard delegates.

The Islamist party’s general assembly in Temerloh, Pahang, was no exception, with plenty of hot air.

But PAS has a problem.

It cannot decide what it should do next to convince non-Muslims that it is worthy of their votes.

Non-Muslims, especially the Chinese, are practical people. They look at PAS and they only see politicians in robes, serbans (turbans), beards, and goatees, with religious studies as their only credentials. Chinese voters are unlikely to be inspired by having theologians run the country.

Call it prejudice or whatever, but the constant harsh statements from PAS have not helped to improve how non-Malays see the party. The ‘’Green Wave’’ – a term to describe the growing strength of PAS – has probably frightened or alienated non-Muslims even more.

It also doesn’t help that at PAS general assemblies, there is a glaring absence of discussions of substantial issues like the economy, growth, tackling the cost of living, boosting the ringgit, digital challenges, and how PAS can take Malaysia to the next level of development.

Instead, party leaders continue to be obsessed about projecting themselves as puritanical and pious, with little knowledge or interest in handling development priorities.

The biggest comic relief this time came from Selangor PAS Youth leader Aubidullah Fahim Ibrahim who proposed that members marry non-Malays to increase support for the party, reportedly saying “a mixed marriage would not just be able to secure one vote but hundreds from the non-Malay community’’.

PAS youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden urged members to start learning vernacular languages to help the party get closer to non-Malay communities.

He said the ability to converse in two languages can be a powerful tool for PAS members in wooing support from non-Malay voters.

At least Afnan spoke some sense. But the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Mahkota by-election, Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah, has already beaten the PAS man to it. Syed Hussien has an advantage because of his Chinese school education: He speaks Mandarin fluently.

The Chinese community just hopes that leaders from both PAS and Umno will stop talking of shutting down vernacular schools and not just use Chinese language as a tool to win votes during elections.

While some were talking about how to woo the non-Malays, one PAS delegate loudly proclaimed that their next target would be the Malay majority state of Pahang, and vowed to shut down all gaming outlets in the state, including the Genting Highlands casino.

Most Chinese voters have reacted with alarm at the statement. While most Chinese do not encourage gambling, we tolerate this game of risks as long as there is a level of self-restraint.

It is common to see card games with small bets during Chinese New Year while mahjong is encouraged as a pastime for senior citizens to keep their minds sharp. Naturally, there are bets involved.

Eye on the future: PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang giving his speech at the recent PAS annual gathering in Temerloh. — Bernama

Pahang PAS deputy commissioner Andansura Rabu quickly moved to soothe ruffled feathers, saying the decision may involve the Federal Government and thus won’t be easy.

Gaming licenses come under the purview of Putrajaya and until PAS forms the next Federal Government on its own, this remains just plenty of hot air.

In July, the High Court in Alor Setar ruled that the Kedah PAS government needed to uphold consistency with the Federal Constitution, which says only the Federal Government has the authority to enact laws and regulations concerning gambling.

The High Court also ordered the Kedah state government to compensate STM Lottery Sdn Bhd and Magnum Corporation Sdn Bhd, the companies behind Sports Toto and Magnum 4D respectively, for the losses they suffered when the state closed their outlets.

As expected, the state government has said that it will take the matter to the Court of Appeals.

Perlis PAS delegate Saifizi Saidon reportedly devoted his speech to calling for action to be taken against certain party leaders, especially those who shook hands with women. He also attacked those who went to karaoke lounges.

To make things worse, Terengganu has banned women from taking part in gymnastics and swimming events, because of “non-syariah compliant” outfits.

Recently, the Terengganu Amateur Swimming Association had to apologise for taking part in the Malaysia Games despite getting approval from the national association and the athletes’ families.

Political observers who have followed the PAS general assembly would have noticed clearly that the agenda of the party hasn’t changed. It has probably got worse with added race and religious narratives.

Its past presidents, like the late Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and the late Datuk Dr Fadzil Noor, focused on religion as the main thrust of the party’s struggle. As in any democracy, PAS has a right to its political ambitions, and it has been fairly consistent.

It has grown in clout and has a sizeable number of Members of Parliament, with three states under its administration. Despite having 43 MPs and being the party with the largest number of lawmakers in the Dewan Rakyat, PAS has reached its limits. That is why it has to win over non-Muslim voters.

But how can party president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang expect his party to endear itself to non-Malays when he described non-Muslim leaders in government as becoming arrogant and irresponsible as well as seeking to play on racial and religious sentiments?

He also claimed that Malay-Muslim leaders in the government are unable to “control” their fellow non-Muslim leaders.

PAS is upset that it was dismissed as being Taliban-like and its style of running state governments equated with that of the Afghan leaders. That may be an unfair comparison, but the pronouncements of its leaders have not helped shed such perceptions.

To be fair, there are some PAS leaders with professional backgrounds and credentials, seemingly giving it a progressive image, and who prefer to talk to the media on issues like the economy, investments, and good governance.

One shining example is Terengganu Mentri Besar Dr Ahmad Shamsuri Mokhtar, an aerospace engineer, but he is not among those who call the shots in the party. That is done by the ultra-conservative leaders, who continue to spook non-Muslims with their declared aim of turning Malaysia into an Islamic State.

These are the guys who issue cut-and-paste statements with a list of festivals and events that they wish to ban, with calls for gender segregation, and a demand to stop “hedonism”, a popular agenda they like to use without even understanding the word.

Tuan Ibrahim has proudly asked PAS members to organise visits to Kelantan to see the development there for themselves.

This is ironic since Kelantan is certainly not a shining example for anyone. After 34 years of PAS rule, it has remained one of the worst run states in this country where one cannot even get decent clean water from the taps.

While the posturing by PAS leaders could have been done to retain its core base, it really needs to embrace diversity and to champion the rights of non-Muslims to win them over.