SUCH was the reaction of Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim to the grouses expressed by certain quarter of Johorians who are dissatisfied with the southern state’s move to shift its weekend holidays to Saturday and Sunday.
This came about as Tunku Ismail had on Monday (Oct 7) announced that Johor shall revert to the weekend off days of Saturdays and Sundays from Fridays and Saturdays beginning Jan 1, 2025 after a lapse of 10 years.
The reversion which had been subject to a study since June 2022 was made official by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim following consent and blessing from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia and after considering the views of the Johor Islamic Religious Council (JAINJ),
“(The decision was reached) in consideration of Johorians’ wishes of spending more time with their families and children – and the positive economic impact in line with implementation of development projects that uplift the state of Johor,” justified the Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (Football Club) owner in a social media post.
Ada beberapa negeri masih kekal bercuti hari Jumaat dan Sabtu. Dalam mempertimbangkan isu berkaitan kehendak rakyat Johor untuk meluangkan lebih masa bersama keluarga dan anak-anak, kesan ekonomi yang positif adalah seiring dengan pelaksanaan projek pembangunan yang memberi… pic.twitter.com/aTsn7W33Fl
— HRH Crown Prince of Johor (@HRHJohorII) October 10, 2024
“If there are parties upset or dissatisfied due to personal agendas, want to provoke the rakyat or have political interests, you are welcomed to move to states that still have Friday and Saturday as weekends.”
To read in between the lines, Tunku Ismail is calling on those who oppose his decision to ship out to the four PAS-ruled states (Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu) whose weekend holidays fall on Fridays and Saturdays.
It is believed that Tunku Ismail’s decree was in response to a statement by Johor PAS deputy commissioner Dr Mohd Mazri Yahya who described weekend holidays on Saturday and Sunday as “a legacy of colonialism”.
More broadly, the view aligns with that of Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim who disagreed that weekend holidays in Johor are reverted to Saturdays and Sundays.
A quick check at the comment section of Tunku Ismail’s post revealed that commenters who are mostly private sector employees are in favour of the weekend holidays to Saturdays and Sundays given they are currently deprived of spending quality family time with their children who have to attend school on Sunday.
Moreover, this has led to high absenteeism rate in schools with parents often giving the excuse of “attending to family matters” for their children’s failure to turn up for classes.
While it is not easy to satisfy the expectations of civil servants and especially staunch Muslims who prefer Friday to be a weekend holiday so they can spend more time at mosques for their Friday prayers, undoubtedly, the issue has been politicised.
Some food for thought: – Oct 11, 2024
Main image credit: HRH Crown Prince of Johor/Twitter
