‘Follow rules’: First Singaporean litterbug convicted under Malaysia's stricter law serves community service in KL

KUALA LUMPUR: Cleaning up his act through a court-ordered community service in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (13 Feb), 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 cleanup work in the heart of Malaysia's capital, near the iconic 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 Jan 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 told CNA briefly 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 RM1,500 (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, Mohamed Nuh, 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) anymore … make the same mistake again,” said Nuh Qurasaini 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 Jan 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 RM2,000, 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 confirmed to CNA last month.

Dozens of similar enforcement operations have been conducted in the country since Jan 1 to deter litterbugs and inculcate a culture of public cleanliness.

Prior to 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 learnt 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.