Thumbs down for move

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: City Hall should spend its money wisely instead of flushing it down the drain.
The money that is being spent on installing the smart toilets costing RM500,000 each could be better spent on other projects which would benefit city folk.
Several politicians said it would be better to educate the public on good toilet habits.
Bukit Bintang Umno head Datuk Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi said the toilet habits of many Malaysians were still below par compared with those in developed countries.
"Spending half a million ringgit on each toilet is too much. We can have the best toilets but if the attitude of the people does not change, it is a waste of money."
Azim said the smart toilets were successfully implemented in developed countries as the people in those countries had good toilet habits to begin with.
He added that instead of spending taxpayers’ money on smart toilets, City Hall should encourage the private sector to take up the project.
"The private sector could recover their investment by charging a fee for the use of the toilets."
Federal Territory MCA chief Datuk Tan Chai Ho said it was not necessary for City Hall to spend so much on public toilets.
"They could have built basic toilets and have people maintaining them regularly. What the public wants is clean toilets," he said, adding that the smart toilets might not last long due to the public’s poor toilet habits.
People’s Progressive Party Federal Territory chief A. Chandrakumaran, said the money should be channelled for the benefit of city folk.
"City Hall should create job opportunities for jobless city folk. There are still a lot of people who are jobless and the automated toilets are not going to help create jobs," he said.