TUARAN: Several activities are carried out during cleanliness campaigns and the most common one is gotong royong to pick up rubbish.
(From right) Kiulu assemblyman Datuk Louis Rampas, Assistant Youth and Sports Minister cum Tamparuli assemblyman Datuk Jahid Jahim, Madiyem, Iliyas and Hajiji, together with the "ambassadors" of the cleanliness campaign.
This however was giving the public the wrong message that they could litter indiscriminately as there would be people from outside who would come and clean up after them, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor said.
Sometimes the participants of the gotong royong themselves littered indiscriminately as the gotong royong had not instilled the awareness in them to stop being litterbugs, he lamented.
“In view of these findings, the State Government has decided to launch an anti-litterbug gotong royong in order to change the public’s mindset on littering indiscriminately,” he said when launching the state-level campaign here yesterday.
The objective of the campaign was to embarrass litterbugs so that they are compelled to stop throwing rubbish indiscriminately, he said.
According to Hajiji, participants of the gotong royong should advise their family and friends against littering.
They should also report litterbugs to the local authority’s enforcement personnel who would in turn issue a compound according to the anti litter by-law against the offender.
“It is our hope that the offenders will be embarrassed by the experience and stop littering not only here but in the state capital or even when they travel overseas,” he stressed.
Hajiji also reminded the public that it was not the sole responsibility of the local authorities to clean up after them.
“Don’t just point fingers and don’t assume that it is the local authorities’ job to pick up the rubbish you throw. If people stop littering indiscriminately, 70 per cent of the problem affecting cleanliness will be resolved,” he said.
“Littering is a bad habit which is embarrassing the state,” Hajiji said adding: “It is sad that here we are heading towards vision 2020 but there are still people who are narrow minded about cleanliness. This reflects the mindset of the people.”
Meanwhile Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim who chairs the Kota Kinabalu Zone Cleanliness, Beautification and Liveliness committee said the campaign would also be extended to other districts, namely Ranau, Kundasang, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Kota Belud, Putatan, Tamparuli, and Papar which are under the committee.
He also said the maximum compound under the anti litter by-law is RM500 but on the spot compound could vary from RM5 as the lowest amount imposed on an offender.
Official receipts would be issued immediately to those who pay their compounds on the spot, he said.
Tuaran District Officer Madiyem Layapan in his welcoming address said that the local authority had appointed 12 pupils to act as “ambassadors” of the campaign in the district.
These pupils from SK St John Tuaran, SJK (C) Shen Sin Tuaran and SJK (C) St Peter Kudat would be creating public awareness about indiscriminate littering.