Cleaner in Singapore Starts Johor Cleanup Squad
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- Mohd Karami Rashid, 37, has commuted across the Causeway to work as a cleaner in Singapore for 11 years; in 2023 he began posting social media videos contrasting Johor's clogged drains and rubbish-filled rivers with Singapore's cleanliness before launching Skuad Johor Bersih in July 2024.
- Skuad Johor Bersih first cleaned up the Eastern Dispersal Link highway near the Sogo shopping complex in Johor Bahru, a flood-prone area caused by rubbish-clogged drains, and has since expanded to clearing rivers, fallen branches, and overgrown areas around the state capital.
- The volunteer group operates with about 10 regular members and a Telegram channel of roughly 530 followers, funded entirely by Karami's own money without formal NGO registration.
- Johor caretaker Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi has shown support for SJB and joined its cleanup work, describing the initiative as aligned with the state government's Johor Bersih agenda of fostering a culture of cleanliness.
- Similar informal cleanup groups have emerged elsewhere in Malaysia, including Hiyaz Community in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, motivated by what its members describe as a lack of care by local authorities.
- Johor should treat cleanliness as a shared civic responsibility rather than solely the government's job, Karami said, adding that his home state can learn from Singapore's civic standards as trade, work, and transport links between the two neighbours deepen.
Why it matters: A Johor commuter working as a Singapore cleaner for 11 years has leveraged cross-border civic experience to seed a volunteer cleanup model with explicit backing from the state's caretaker Menteri Besar. Similar informal groups already operating in Kelantan suggest a replicable, bottom-up template filling gaps where Malaysian municipal enforcement has consistently fallen short.
