Heated Exchange In Parliament Over 20-tonne Rubbish Collected Post-rally

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- A heated session unfolded in the Dewan Rakyat sitting today when Datuk Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) accused Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming of lying about the 20 tonnes of rubbish collected following Saturday’s rally. 

Nga clarified that the figure was based on a report by the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp).

He said that the government respects the Federal Constitution and upholds democratic principles by allowing peaceful assemblies, but such gatherings must be conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner, including maintaining cleanliness.

“This includes maintaining cleanliness, and I was criticising unhygienic behaviour. I never said the Honourable Member for Pendang was the one who littered.

"...the 20 tonnes of rubbish mentioned did not come from me. That figure was from the SWCorp report I received. Hundreds of our workers had to be mobilised to clean up the rubbish left behind after the black shirt rally," he said.

Yesterday, Nga was reported as saying that a total of 20 tonnes of rubbish was collected following the rally, adding that cleanup operations were carried out until 3.30am. 

Meanwhile, Nga said that to date, 23 non-sanitary landfills have been safely closed under the Non-Sanitary Landfill Closure and Rehabilitation Plan, adding that another 155 open dumping sites nationwide will be closed in phases throughout the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) period.

He said the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT), through the National Solid Waste Management Department (JPSPN), is prioritising a progressive transformation from non-sanitary landfills to sanitary landfills equipped with leachate treatment plants, which function to treat the landfill liquid waste. 

In addition, he stated that the ministry has introduced a reuse approach for closed landfill sites by conducting rehabilitation efforts to ensure they are safe before developing them into public spaces, such as Lestari Parks, solar farms, and community facilities, thereby benefiting the local community.

“One example of a successful Lestari Park pilot project is the former landfill site at Felda Bandar Tenggara, which had previously held over 360,000 metric tons of waste since 1999.

“Today, spanning 7.56 hectares, it has been transformed into a recreational park with a stroller garden concept, featuring attractively designed landscape elements as well as environmental rehabilitation components for the former landfill site,” he said.

He was responding to a question from Manndzri Nasib (BN-Tenggara) on the ministry’s actions to address issues of odour and water pollution frequently caused by poorly managed landfill sites.

-- BERNAMA