SINGAPORE: On Oct 7 (Monday), Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, Johor’s Regent, announced that starting from Jan 1, 2025, the state’s government sector will observe their weekend days off on Saturdays and Sundays.
At the beginning of 2014, the government of Johor started observing its weekend on Friday and Saturday to allow for the prayers of Muslims, while the weekend for the private sector remained the same.
The governments of three other states in Malaysia similarly observe a Friday and Saturday weekend, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.
Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, had given his blessing to the decision to return to a Saturday-Sunday weekend, said Tunku Ismail, who added that the King also considered what the Johor Islamic Religious Council said on the matter.
“I hope that the private sector, the government, and related parties allow sufficient time and space for Muslim workers to perform Friday prayers accordingly,” the Regent said.
Upon Tunku Ismail’s decree, Johor’s chief minister, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, together with Johor Mufti Datuk Yahya Ahmad, will discuss and study every angle of the matter.
Adjusting the weekend for Johor’s state government has been ongoing for the past two years.
However, the move would be beneficial for Johor, in large part due to the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. Having weekends for the two countries be in sync would help productivity.
After Singaporean media reported it, many netizens who had commented on the announcement expressed their approval.
Several said it was a “good move” for Malaysia.
Another called it a wise and right decision to keep the days off on weekends as observed across the globe.
“It’s a good move by the current Malaysia Sultan to link Malaysia with the majority of the world. Hope the next Sultan can carry on this weekend day-off practice,” observed one commenter.
One said it allows Muslims to pray over three days: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
However, a few netizens expressed concern that this would make traffic and crowding worse within Johor, as well as the entrance and exit of the state.
Others chimed in to say that a longer weekend would not be a bad idea, suggesting time off from Friday afternoon through Sundays.
Some also asked for the reversal of the VEP implementation, which began on Oct 1. Foreign-registered vehicles are now required to carry a Vehicle Entry Permit tag when entering Malaysia, which some Singaporeans consider unnecessary. /TISG
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