Latest news with #MohdHaffizAhmad
New Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
JB car washes reclassified as high-risk over Singapore-only allegations
JOHOR BARU: Car wash centres in the city have been reclassified as high-risk businesses following repeated breaches of regulations, prompting tighter licensing conditions and stricter enforcement by the Johor Baru City Council. Its mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad said the decision was made during a recent meeting of the council's licensing committee, in response to persistent non-compliance among operators. "Operators have consistently failed to adhere to wastewater treatment standards, caused damage to public roads, and neglected to maintain proper premises. "They will now be subject to increased scrutiny, including mandatory worker registration and infrastructure inspections," he said after chairing its full council meeting at Menara MBJB today. He warned that failure to comply could result in licence suspension or cancellation under existing laws and regulations. The move follows public backlash over a car wash outlet in Taman Abad that allegedly prioritised Singapore-registered vehicles while turning away local customers. A viral post last week claimed that foreign workers at the outlet had refused to service Malaysian cars, citing "full bookings from Singaporean clients". In response, Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor instructed all local councils to take firm action against outlets that exclusively served foreigners, calling such practices unacceptable and grounds for licence termination. Haffiz said the city council's enforcement officers had conducted checks but found no formal complaints lodged, and the claims remained unsubstantiated. "We are monitoring the situation closely. If such discriminatory practices are confirmed, we will revoke the licence," he said, adding that premium 'water wax' services, priced from RM40, were being marketed primarily to Singaporean customers. Earlier, the New Straits Times reported that some outlets charged up to RM80 for "water wax" treatments. There are currently 543 licensed car wash outlets operating under the city council's jurisdiction. Last year, 53 unlicensed centres were shut down. As of June this year, a further 33 illegal operators have been identified and are being dealt with.
Malay Mail
20 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
20 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
21 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
21 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.
