I have been to Thailand and Egypt. These two countries are no better off than Malaysia in terms of economy. But once you get into their public toilets the perception change.
Malaysia is far better off than these two countries. Our country is one of South East Asia's rich kid. But the state of our public toilet is despicable the least to say.
I blame the Malaysian toilet debacle on bad habit. Have Malaysians been toilet trained at an early stage? I remember public toilet in Thailand use open waste basket to throw rubbish. The toilet they use is suitable to the specific " toilet habits" of the inhabitants - the squatting toilet. Therefore there is less mess and nobody tries to balance their high heels on the toilet seats.
In Egypt the public toilet at rest area use in -built water bidets . There is less mess compared to using the hand held water hose that is frequently misplaced in Malaysia. Public facilities in Malaysia have tried using that in- built system at shopping malls and hotels (Alamanda and PWTC to name a few). Years later when I revisited the toilets, the in built system had been replaced by yet again hand held water hose! Looks like Malaysians love the water hose to death. And talking about water hose why can't we install the water hose slightly higher from the ground. This will prevent the water hose from being left on the dirty floor. I have seen this system installed successfully at University Technology Petronas' toilet cubicles.
Well, our country can claim to have the best infrastructure, but when it comes to her people, sadly, it is the still the third world mentality.
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News excerpt from Bernama and quoted by Yahoo
TOURISTS CITE DIRTY STALLS AND TOILETS AS NEGATIVE ASPECT OF MALAYSIAN TOURISM - NG
Bernama - Monday, January 24.LABIS, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said today dirty food stalls, toilets and drains were cited by tourists as the negative aspect of Malaysian tourism which they otherwise regarded as vibrant with natural beauty.
Launching the "1Malaysia Green, 1Malaysia Clean" programme for the Segamat district at the Hotspring Recreation Centre here, she said the problem could only be resolved if the people changed their attitude.
She said there was much potential for growth of the tourism industry but it could only become a reality if the "clean and beautiful" slogan became a daily practice and culture of the people.
"The Tourism Ministry takes into consideration the complaints of the tourists. We have to look into cleanliness. We have to ensure that the people assume the responsibility to clean the country clean at all times," she said.
On the Hotspring Recreation Centre, she said a study would be undertaken to consider improvements to draw more visitors, especially from Singapore.
On the Tenang state by-election, Ng, who is an MCA vice-president, said the party was using the spirit of "Galas" to campaign.
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