NUSAJAYA: In an effort towards a greener and cleaner Johor, the state government will be enforcing the maximum fine of RM250 for litterbugs.
Johor Housing and Local Government executive committee chairman Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi said the enforcement was timely as the state goverment wanted the community to have a high sense of awareness towards maintaining cleanliness and ensuring that all rubbish was disposed properly.
Latiff said the enforcement of the fine would be made public and further elaborated on by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin during the launch of the Johor Bersih dan Lestari (Sustainable and Cleaner Johor) campaign on Sunday.
He said the launch by the menteri besar would be held at Taman Pelangi Indah at 8am with various activities including fun aerobics and gotong-royong exercise with the menteri besar.
"We will also declare a recreation park in Jalan Persona 1 in Taman Pelangi Indah as a zero-smoking zone which will prohibit the area from being marred by cigarette butts and make the air cleaner," he said.
When asked whether there would be any significant impact towards educating the public on cleanliness with the minimal amount of fine, Latif said it is not all about punishment but a sense of discipline should be developed on their own.
"How can other countries such as Singapore and Australia do well with cleanliness? We want to emulate this and become the first state in the country that can say we have successfully created a community which appreciates cleanliness," he said.
He added the fine was a form of disciplinary move to better educate the public on the importance of keeping their surrounding areas clean.
"The fine is already stipulated in the Streets, Drainage and Building Act 1974 and we want everyone to be clear that the fine is not a new thing which the state government simply came up with," he said.