Speaking on Malaysia's first ever "toilet expo," deputy premier Najib Razak rallied for stricter laws to require business owners to stringently maintain clean washrooms.

He added that dingy facilities scare away tourists and reflect badly on the country. He said said the cleanliness and beauty of a country's toilets were a measure of how civilized it was.

"Try to imagine dirty, disgusting toilets that make you nauseous - these will surely give us a negative image," Najib was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

"Good, clean toilets are associated with good health, good manners, good upbringing, good housekeeping and civilization," he said according to the Star newspaper.

He added, "We need an effort, a national effort if we are to change the culture and attitude of the people on this important issue."

Malaysia is a fairly rich Southeast Asian country. Although the state of its toilets have been dismal, especially when compared to its neighbor Singapore.