by Rosli Mansor
The city of Ipoh is now enjoying another addition to its long list of accolades, as it can now be called the Prime Minister’s City following the appointment of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the country’s top leadership role.
This is because Anwar is a Member of Parliament for Tambun, which is a parliamentary seat within the city of Ipoh.
It is a new notch to its history as there has not been any Prime Minister of the country representing an area within the city.
With the Prime Minister from Ipoh, many parties are beginning to imagine the possibilities of this development.
But before imagining too far, there is one thing that the citizens of Ipoh should solve, which is the issue of illegal garbage and the habit of a few residents who like to throw garbage everywhere.
In most housing estates, eyes will definitely be drawn to piles of garbage, whether placed on the side of the road, electric poles or even road sign boards.
That’s not to mention the construction waste which is usually dumped in quiet areas, as well as the back alley of shops, which are basically garbage dumps.
Or the issue of drains in the middle of Ipoh city which are filled with garbage to the point of nauseating smell.
Although the Ipoh City Council (MBI) officers do the cleaning, the issue of illegal garbage is still present due to the attitude of some people.
Last year, a total of 1,596 illegal waste locations were detected compared to 1,672 in the previous year, thus showing the irresponsible attitude of some Ipoh citizens in terms of waste management.
Most of these locations are the same areas that have been cleaned by MBI officers before being dirtied again by irresponsible parties.
As a measure to strengthen enforcement, starting August 1, MBI implemented a RM1,000 compound to individuals who were found to be littering illegally.
