RESTAURANT owners are alarmed by a minister’s proposal to make “A”-rated toilets a condition for the renewal of their business licence.

Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming proposed the move in a bid to put an end to dirty public toilets.

People in the food and beverage sector, however, said such a policy would put outlets housed in old buildings at a disadvantage.

They also said there should be clear written guidelines on what constitutes a clean toilet.

Penang and Province Wellesley Cafe Association president Tan Kar Seong said the group’s members are maintaining the cleanliness of the toilets in their establishments.

He said the toilets are cleaned at least three times a day.

“They clean once before opening for business, at noon and at night,” said Tan.

Should the facilities become dirty in the interim period, they will be cleaned, he said.

“I agree that toilet hygiene must be maintained but I do not understand why the government has to make us achieve an ‘A’ rating as a condition for the renewal of our licences.”

Tan said the prerequisites for an “A” rating are also unclear.

He said he was afraid that the small outlets, particularly coffee shops in old buildings, will struggle to meet the standard.

“If they have to undertake renovations to achieve the rating so that their licence will be renewed, they will have to spend money,” Tan said.

Last week, Nga said the government will make it a requirement for restaurants to have “A”-rated toilets before they are allowed to renew their business licences.

He said the policy would be introduced in about a year and that the restaurant owners have been warned.

He said officials will assess the conditions of the outlet’s toilets before renewing the 2024 licence of the applicant.

Malaysia Koo Soo Restaurants and Chefs’ Association president Wong Teu Hoon said such a requirement would be an added burden on the outlets.

Wong said some restaurants and coffee shops in the suburbs share toilet facilities.

He said the policy punished the restaurants for the bad habits of their customers who misuse the toilets.

“Before implementing the policy, I hope the government will see the problem from the perspective of the restaurant owners.”

While it is important to encourage the upkeep of cleaner toilets, the policy is “taking things too far”, he said.

Restaurant and Bistro Owners Association vice-president Jeremy Lim said the government should draw up guidelines before executing new policies.

“Ministers are fond of making policy statements but they offer no guidelines on how it should be done. If they sincerely want to make things work, they should draw up the rules first.”

Lim added that the guidelines should be “logical”.

He suggested that the minister meet with restaurant owners to discuss the guidelines. – February 1, 2023.