By Bakri Baharom@Koboi Tunjang

When I first started collecting rubbish along the roadside, I covered my head with a jumper.

One passing motorist actually made a U-turn; he figured out this person performing a curious routine of collecting rubbish in public, had to be me!

We had a good laugh.

Then, Firdaus Ahmad, from apakhabartv.com turned up to snap some photos, coined and penned “Koboi Tunjang” in his eventual article published by ApaKhabar.

Why do I choose Fridays? In Kedah, it is the weekend, hence less traffic.

Safety is of utmost important.

Taking a breather at a bus stop, accompanied by a bagful of trash

Why do we have to keep our street spick and span? A few reasons come to mind.

In my rounds I have found you-name-it-we-have-it trash; namely bottles, containers, wrappers, cigarette butts and packs, plastic glasses, and, paper cups. There’s more. Even soiled diapers, flat tyres and used cotton buds.

Two particular items deserve a special mention.

Any type of container will collect rain water which, in turn, will breed larvae and Aedes mosquito. A discarded food leftover will breed rats which may spawn diseases like leptospirosis.

Also, those rats might just grow bulkier and get adventurous. They may decide to lunge onto your house or car wirings .

I say, with justification, that the chief culprit is Take-Away Drink which is commonly known as Teh-Ais-Ikat-Tepi.

The second most discarded item is “Used Face Mask”, Covid-19 virus demands that it must be properly disposed off.

For, the trash trail will inevitably up end up in the drains, our rivers and subsequently in the oceans.

Trash does not go away. They shall return, weaponised, to terrorise us.

The most common threat is clogged up drains triggering flash floods.

Also, we hear complaints of poor catch for our fishermen which translate into higher cost for us all. Koboi Tunjang is not spared the price hike.

Disrupted, clogged waterways result in dwindling fresh-water fish catches.

Cumulatively, collective inertia tends to lead to memory loss, en masse.

Love Our River campaign!.Remember that? Yes it has abandoned our consciousness, escaping into the high seas. This was launched just a few years back.

As a public servant, I was most familiar with a range of Vision & Mission Statements, Strategic Plan, Action Plan and 5S. But, the Concept of Outcome is the most decisive. A couple of weeks ago, it took me two hours to cover a distance of 300 meters. Last week, it improved to 45 minutes. Today (Friday Feb 3), it was only 35 minutes.

The outcome is improving.

As Peter Drucker beautifully said; “What Get Measured, Get Managed. Since this is my neighbourhood I dare bet my last dollar, my friends, my relatives and my fellow villagers will refrain from littering.”

Once we achieve Zero Litter, it will discourage any litter bug. That is Psychology 101.

As overseas trips are allowed now, take your chance to visit other countries. Check out country roads in Ontario Canada, Rhine River in Germany, Great Ocean Road in Melbourne Australia, not to mention destinations in Korea, Taiwan or Japan.

Even, the Night Market in downtown Chiang Mai is second to none.

I must go now. The Azan, the call for Friday prayers is reverberating.
Hai ya alal solah.
Hai ya alal falah.

Fittingly and true enough, the sermon today expanded on the Quest For Success, both in this and the next world.

Note: Former deputy director (academics) of Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah, Bakri Baharom’s heroic action in cleaning up Tunjang, Kedah was highlighted in apakhabartv.com recently.