Indonesian litterbug weeps after first conviction under new Malaysian law
Anita Lukman was fined US$125 and ordered to serve six hours of community service for discarding rubbish on a pavement in Johor Bahru
Sultan Md, 28, a Bangladeshi, and Anita Lukman, 49, an Indonesian, were charged in the Sessions Court in Johor Bahru on Friday morning.
Anita, an odd-job worker, pleaded guilty to throwing a cigarette butt and a drink bottle on the pavement on Jalan Ibrahim Sultan in Stulant Laut at 12.41am on January 1.
The offence was framed under Section 77A(1) of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007.
Anita, who was unrepresented, asked for a lighter punishment, saying she is a single mother and has to care for two school-going children, aged eight and 15.
“I am only helping my friend with odd jobs and my children may miss school if I do not send enough money home,” she said, tearing up.
Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) prosecuting officer Siti Adora Rahtiman asked for a suitable punishment for the accused as a lesson to her and the public not to litter.