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Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Want to sell food? Better have a four-star loo, mayor tells JB
JOHOR BAHRU, July 30 — All food outlets and restaurants must now achieve a minimum four-star rating for their toilets before they can renew their business licences with the local authority here. The Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) move, which affects 7,435 food premises within the district, is part of a wider campaign to improve public hygiene standards. Johor Bahru Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad said the council has approved an implementation paper to establish a toilet cleanliness standard, dubbed 'Bersih, Menawan dan Wangi' (BMW) — Clean, Charming, and Fragrant — as a mandatory condition for business licence renewals. 'This campaign, effective this year, encourages premise operators to ensure their toilets are always clean and meet the four-star and above requirement,' he told reporters after the MBJB full council meeting today. 'As a start, this will involve all food premises and restaurants, including 24-hour outlets. Therefore, all operators must ensure their toilets meet or exceed this requirement to be eligible for next year's business licence renewal.' Mohd Haffiz said the city council's licensing department will provide a self-assessment checklist for operators to complete. MBJB officers will then conduct inspections to verify the rating. If a business does not meet the four-star requirement, the operator must carry out the necessary cleaning or upgrading works to satisfy the criteria before their licence renewal application can be approved. 'We hope that these additional conditions will empower premise operators to be more responsible in contributing to making Johor Bahru city cleaner,' the mayor said.
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
JB mayor says would revoke licence of Singaporeans-only car wash, but yet to find any
JOHOR BAHRU, July 30 — Authorities here will revoke the business licence of any car wash operator found to be rejecting local customers in favour of Singaporean vehicle owners, Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad warned today. His statement comes in response to a state government directive, issued after a social media post went viral alleging that a car wash in the city was exclusively catering to vehicles from Singapore. Speaking to reporters after chairing a full Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) meeting, Mohd Haffiz said will investigate the allegations but has not received a formal report yet. 'We will continue to monitor this issue and conduct checks, including revoking the car wash operator's licence if they are found to have rejected local customers in favour of foreign vehicle owners,' he said. Mohd Haffiz suggested the issue may have arisen from a preference among operators for offering more expensive 'premium' services, which are popular with Singaporean customers. 'There are 543 licensed car wash centres under MBJB's jurisdiction. Most of these operators are known to offer a wash-and-wax service, priced at RM40 and above, over a normal wash,' he explained. 'The claim is that the costlier wash, popular among Singaporeans, brings in more money. So, the car wash operator allegedly rejects local vehicles whose owners only want a normal wash.' But he reiterated that there was not yet any report of the alleged practice. The controversy began on Friday when a Facebook post featured a car wash centre in Taman Abad, claiming it only accepted Singapore-registered cars. The car wash, reportedly manned by foreign workers, was alleged to have refused requests from local customers, stating they were fully booked by Singaporean clients. Following the social media backlash, state Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor directed all local authorities to revoke the business licences of any car wash operators found to be refusing service to locals.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
89,292 JB properties owe RM214m in assessment tax
JOHOR BARU: A total of 89,292 properties in Johor Baru have outstanding assessment tax arrears amounting to RM214.1 million up till today. Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad said only RM43.1 million in assessment tax was collected within that period. "To streamline the collection process, MBJB has formed a task force comprising 200 personnel to engage directly with property owners identified as having arrears. "They will act as MBJB assessment tax agents, and will be given official authority cards and identification documents," he said after the full council meeting at Menara MBJB here today. Haffiz said the agents would not collect any money, but would offer advice and guidelines to assist in settling the outstanding tax. "The tax process begins when MBJB issues a bill to the property owner. This is followed by a notice, and owners have 14 days to settle the arrears. "If payment is still not made after the notice period and subsequent reminders over a span of up to five years, MBJB will auction the contents of the property, if it is occupied. "However, if the property is vacant, the premises itself will be auctioned. The proceeds will be used to cover the arrears, and any remaining amount will be returned to the owner."
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
No 'BMW-standard' toilet, no licence, says JB city council
JOHOR BARU: Business licence renewals for food outlets in the state capital now hinge on its toilets' conditions. The Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) introduced a new condition requiring all 7,435-food premises, including cafes and restaurants in its council's jurisdiction, to achieve at least a four-star toilet cleanliness rating under its Bersih, Menawan dan Wangi (clean, attractive, and fragrant) standard to qualify for business licence renewal starting this year. Raising the bar on toilet hygiene, the standard, cheekily abbreviated as BMW, shares its initials with the German luxury marque — but now represents premium toilet standards, not high-end cars. The initiative was first coined last year in Putrajaya by the Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, under its BMW-i smart toilets initiative. The smart public toilets incorporated advanced features such as built-in automatic bidets, automatic floor-cleaning machines, automatic doors for people with disabilities (PWD) toilets, and automated customer feedback systems. MBJB mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad said the ruling, approved by the council's administration, is part of an initiative to raise public hygiene standards, in line with national toilet rating guidelines. "The move signals a strict no-excuse approach to public cleanliness and hygiene, placing toilet conditions front and centre in the food industry's compliance requirements. "This will apply to all food outlets, 24-hour or otherwise. If the toilet fails to meet BMW criteria, the business licence will not be renewed or may be suspended until compliance is achieved," he said after MBJB's full council meeting at Menara MBJB today. He added that the council's licensing department will distribute self-audit BMW toilet checklists for operators to complete before official inspections. Outlets failing the assessment must carry out cleaning or upgrades to meet the required standard before renewal applications can proceed. "Enforcement action under existing by-laws will also apply where necessary. "We want a cleaner city, and business owners must take responsibility for hygiene inside and outside their premises," Haffiz said. The move signals MBJB's stricter approach to enforcing sanitary standards in public-facing businesses, amid increasing scrutiny of food safety and public hygiene.
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
MBJB sets 200 officers on property owners to recover RM214m in assessment arrears
JOHOR BAHRU, July 30 – The Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) will deploy 200 special officers to engage directly with property owners as it seeks to recover RM214.1 million in outstanding assessment arrears from nearly 90,000 premises. JB Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad said this action was necessary as 89,292 properties within MBJB's jurisdiction were found to be delinquent between the start of the year and June 30. To date, the council has managed to collect RM43.1 million for this period. Speaking after chairing the MBJB full council meeting today, Mohd Haffiz explained that the 200 officers will conduct direct meetings with property owners identified as having outstanding payments. 'They will act as MBJB property tax agents and will be provided with official power of attorney cards and identification documents,' he said. 'For a start, we will inform the property owners of their respective arrears. From there, we will give an official notice to pay the arrears within 14 days.' However, Mohd Haffiz warned the public not to be fooled by unauthorised parties or individuals claiming to represent the council. He stressed that the official MBJB officers will not ask for or collect any cash payments; their role is solely to provide advice and guidelines for settling the arrears. The mayor cautioned that if property owners fail to comply after the 14-day notice period and subsequent reminders, MBJB is empowered to take stern action. 'If the property is occupied, MBJB is empowered to seize items within the premises to be auctioned,' he said. 'If the house is vacant, the premises itself will be auctioned. The proceeds will be used to pay the tax arrears, while the balance will be returned to the owner.' He added that legal action can also be taken against property owners who fail to settle their outstanding payments. Despite the approach, Mohd Haffiz said MBJB is open to negotiation with property owners who intend to pay their assessment arrears. He said this can be done through installment plans arranged via the council's appraisal department.
