KUALA LUMPUR: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman expressed outrage over the poor cleanliness standards at a Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) dining hall in Perak.
Its chairman, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, took the initiative to inspect the dining hall at MRSM Taiping to observe food preparation after receiving complaints from parents regarding a food poisoning incident on August 30.
The incident involved 31 students, with some of them had to be rushed to the hospital.
During the inspection, he discovered lizard droppings and rats at the premises, as well as maggots in the students' meals.
"During the surprise inspection, I found several issues that did not comply with Mara's standards, including insufficient staff, failure to follow the set daily menu, and unsatisfactory kitchen cleanliness.
"It turns out this is not the first case. When speaking to the students affected by food poisoning, they informed me that last year, 50 people were also affected by the same issue.
"They also shared pictures of maggots in the rice, vegetables, and insects in the food, which greatly saddened me," he said.
Meanwhile, in a Facebook post's caption, Asyraf said he asked the contractor why the kitchen was dirty with lizard droppings and not cleaned, but the contractor responded: "Can we really stop lizards from pooping?"
Asyraf further wrote: "I will take firm action, including terminating the contract and pursuing legal action against contractors who take a careless attitude, putting the health of the students at risk."