PBTs Should Be More Proactive In Maintaining Public Facilities - Hannah

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- All local authorities (PBTs), particularly those in tourism hubs such as Putrajaya, have been reminded to be more proactive and consistent in maintaining the cleanliness and safety of public facilities without waiting for issues to go viral on social media.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said basic maintenance or "housekeeping" should be carried out continuously, and there was no excuse for neglecting it.

She said that while some larger upgrading projects may require additional funding, issues involving cleanliness and safety must be prioritised.

"Putrajaya is a tourism hub. The leadership of Putrajaya Corporation has gone to the ground and carried out some repair works. But in future, all local authorities have no excuse for neglecting issues related to cleanliness and safety.

"I urge all parties to conduct more frequent site visits to monitor the situation," she told reporters after inspecting a hawker facilities upgrading project under the Sustainable Business Programme near the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) Sentul here today.

Hannah said this when asked to comment on complaints by netizens on social media regarding damaged public facilities such as lifts and escalators in Putrajaya recently.

Commenting further on the follow-up action, Hannah said her ministry had already contacted the management of Putrajaya Corporation and repair works had begun.

She also advised social media users to be more discerning when assessing issues before sharing them, as videos circulated online do not always present the full picture.

"Nowadays, everyone can be a reporter, but the information and facts presented may represent only 10 per cent (of the actual situation).

"For every issue, there are many angles and perspectives that we need to hear, not just those of the person who made the video. Therefore, social media users must be wise and discerning before making an issue go viral," she said.

-- BERNAMA