IPOH: Individuals found guilty of littering offences will soon be required to perform mandatory community service while wearing a designated green uniform, says Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
Nga stated that the order to introduce community service penalties for littering offences has been tabled in parliament and is expected to pass in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session in June or July.
"Once in effect, anyone caught dumping rubbish into drains will face mandatory community service as punishment.
"There will be no compromise on the issue of public cleanliness," he said, adding that offenders will wear a special green uniform during their community service duties," he said at a press conference following the Jalan Medan Ipoh 2 upgrading project handover ceremony on Friday (April 11).
"In the same way those investigated by the MACC wear the orange lock-up attire, offenders will wear green while they sweep streets, clean drains, and even help clean public toilets. If 12 hours isn’t enough, we’ll extend it," he added.
He mentioned that failure to carry out this punishment, under court jurisdiction, may result in imprisonment.
He also noted that courts will have the power to impose fines ranging from RM2,000 to RM100,000.
"If you're wealthy and want to pay a higher compound, go ahead, try it, but once you're caught and charged in court, don’t regret it," he said.
Nga emphasised that for Malaysia to become a developed nation, its citizens must have a first-class mindset, not just first-class infrastructure.
"Even after 12 years in school one still doesn’t know that rubbish belongs in a bin, I don’t know what to say. You pay for what you did. That’s the consequence," he added.
