bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Cleaning up his act through a court-ordered community service in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, the first Singaporean convicted of littering under Malaysia’s stricter law had a simple message for others: follow the rules and do not litter.
Mohamed Nuh Qurasaini Kayat, 25, performed the community clean-up work in the heart of Malaysia’s capital, near the famous Dataran Merdeka, along with three others.
He told reporters that he was in Kuala Lumpur to catch the new year celebrations and fireworks and was not aware of the implementation of Malaysia’s stricter anti-littering law that took effect on January 1 this year.
“For those visiting Kuala Lumpur, follow the rules. That’s all I want to remind you, so you don’t end up in my situation,” he said during a break from his four-hour community service sentence.
The four men were among the first batch of littering offenders to conduct their community work.
Wearing vests labelled “Community Service Order”, they were required to sweep and collect litter from the road. All of them were masked.
The other three were Malaysian, Pakistani and Indonesian.
Another 11 litterbugs also served similar court-ordered community service concurrently on Friday at another four locations, namely Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Pahang, said the government agency Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp).

Nuh Quraisaini, who was also fined by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court 1,500 ringgit (US$381) on Monday, had been charged under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672).
The charge noted he had discarded a cigarette butt in a public area near a 7-Eleven outlet on Jalan Bukit Bintang in the heart of Kuala Lumpur rather than using a designated waste container.
According to local news agency Bernama, Nuh Quraisaini, who was unrepresented, pleaded to the court for leniency, claiming that there were no rubbish bins in the vicinity at the time.
He was reported to have said that he chose to discard the cigarette butt on the ground because there were already others strewn across the pavement.
“So I am a bit shocked also but now that I know, I won’t do [it] any more … make the same mistake again,” Nuh Qurasaini said on Friday.
Nuh Qurasaini, who works in the oil industry, plans to return to Singapore immediately after completing his court order. He has already paid the fine.
SWCorp has been tasked with enforcing stricter anti-littering penalties in various parts of the country since the start of the year.
It said that since January 1, it has issued a total of 742 offence notifications across seven states involving 581 local citizens and 161 foreign nationals.
The seven states are Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perlis and Kedah as well as the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
On top of fines of up to 2,000 ringgit, litterbugs may now also be sentenced to community service for a period of not more than six months, with a maximum of 12 hours of work under Act 672.
Whether an offender is sentenced to community service is at the discretion of the magistrate and factors like their physical well-being will be taken into consideration, SWCorp said last month.
Dozens of similar enforcement operations have been conducted in the country since January 1 to deter litterbugs and inculcate a culture of public cleanliness.
Before 2026, Malaysia’s punishments for littering were limited to smaller fines and did not have the community service component.
SWCorp CEO Khalid Mohamed told reporters on Friday that the purpose of the community service order was to deter the community from littering.
“The Community Service Order is implemented as a restorative and educational alternative punishment, shifting from a strictly monetary fine to a rehabilitative sentence that involves the offender’s direct participation in community cleaning work,” he said, adding that other developed countries also had similar initiatives.
The Malaysian litterbug, who served the order on Friday, said he had learned his lesson.
The man, who works as an e-hailing driver and declined to be named, had been caught littering a cigarette butt on New Year’s Day.
“It looks like a small thing, but it had a big effect that involved a lot of money as well. Because of one cigarette, I received a big fine,” said the man who also advised the public to throw rubbish in a proper place.
He also believed that there was a “silver lining” for the punishment meted out on him.
“What I did was definitely wrong, but there is a positive side to it. People can see what happens [when they litter],” said the man who is in his 30s.
This story was first published by CNA


Singaporean sweeps Kuala Lumpur road after Malaysia littering conviction

China’s canal link to Southeast Asia; Malaysia’s ‘illegal’ temple row: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Father, son arrested in Malaysia after woman’s dismembered remains found at landfills

Michelle Yeoh’s tearful tribute to parents at Berlin Film Festival: ‘I carry him with me’

Malaysia

Mohamed Nuh Qurasaini Kayat serves his court-ordered community service sentence at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, on Friday. Photo: CNA


Fireworks explode over the Petronas Twin Towers during the new year celebration in Kuala Lumpur on January 1. Photo: AFP

Malaysia’s Anwar defends anti-corruption chief over new share row: ‘read his explanation’

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Azam Baki speaks at a press conference in August last year. Photo: SCMP

Protesters gather during a rally to demand action against MACC chief Azam Baki on January 22, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysia risks under-reporting of TB cases as ‘slow-burn epidemic’ persists

A doctor looking at an X-ray for signs of lung disease, such as  tuberculosis. Photo: Shutterstock

Malaysian key opposition party’s power struggle threatens to dent election hopes

A woman casts her ballot during Malaysia’s 2022 general election in Bera, Pahang. Photo: Reuters

Bersatu Deputy President Hamzah Zainuddin addresses Malaysia’s parliament. He has received a summons from the party’s disciplinary board. Photo: Facebook/Hamzah Zainuddin

Then Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin in 2020. Muhyiddin has resigned as PN chairman but remains as Bersatu’s president. Photo: Ihsan Pejabat Perdana Menteri/Bernama/dpa

Supporters of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party gather in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, ahead of the 2022 general election. Photo: Shutterstock

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Nuh Qurasaini, the first Singaporean convicted of littering under Malaysia’s stricter law, performs court-ordered clean-up near Dataran Merdeka


Nuh Qurasaini, the first Singaporean convicted of littering under Malaysia’s stricter law, performs court-ordered clean-up near Dataran Merdeka.


Singapore

Singaporean sweeps Kuala Lumpur road after Malaysia littering conviction

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Nuh Qurasaini, the first Singaporean convicted of littering under Malaysia’s stricter law, performs court-ordered clean-up near Dataran Merdeka

Nuh Qurasaini, the first Singaporean convicted of littering under Malaysia’s stricter law, performs court-ordered clean-up near Dataran Merdeka