BY: Aida Aziz
IPOH: Ipoh has the potential to become a major city at the forefront of the toilet manufacturing industry in Malaysia, says Datuk Rumaizi Baharin, the Mayor of Ipoh.
He emphasizes that although there may be some cynics about this notion, the toilet industry can attract many investors to Ipoh, particularly in the state of Perak.
This potential stems from the abundant mineral resources found in the Kinta region, which can be exported to Southeast and South Asian countries, given the high demand.
“Perhaps this topic has been a subject of jokes, and many might laugh when discussing the toilet industry, but it can be a significant source of income for our state.
“All the materials for building toilets are part of an industry, and that’s why the production value reaches almost RM80 to 90 billion.
We can export to countries like Indonesia and Thailand because there is a substantial amount of these minerals here. In Thailand, for example, it might be challenging to obtain silica sand mining minerals,” he said.
He made these remarks during a press conference after presiding over the Full Council Meeting for October held here on Tuesday.
Thus, he suggests that the public’s stigma about the potential of this industry needs to change in line with the evolving times.
“But when it comes to Perak, our toilet industry is not large and is somewhat lacking. We might consider it a small thing, but it’s quite the opposite.
In countries like South Asia, such as India, their population is even more extensive than China’s and is progressing.
Previously, their toilet facilities might have been somewhat disorganized, but now they are actively building new toilets. It is a necessity.
So, when we can seize the opportunity to export toilet-related products to these regions, imagine how much revenue we can generate,” he added.
