Sultan Ibrahim receives report on proposed weekend off days for Johor, decision soon

JOHOR BARU, Aug 10 – The Johor government today presented the results of its findings on the proposed reversion of its weekend rest days to the state Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, before a decision is made.

In a Facebook post, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state government has presented its findings regarding the coordination of weekend rest days for His Majesty the Sultan of Johor’s consideration.

“InsyaAllah (God willing), Tuanku will make the best judgment for the people of Johor,” he said in a brief post on his official Facebook page today.

Accompanying the post was a photograph of Onn Hafiz presenting the findings to Sultan Iskandar.

Last week, Onn Hafiz said that the decision on the proposed weekend rest days, whether they remained as is or are changed, would involve 576,691 students and 1.764 million employees in the state.

Of that figure, he said 93 per cent of the workforce involved those in the private sector.

“One of the main concerns was the difference in rest days between parents and children, which makes it difficult for families to spend time together,” he was reported saying.

Previously, the ongoing study on the proposed reversion of the southern state’s official weekend rest days that are currently fixed on Friday and Saturday, involved various sectors such as the government, public, education, industry and banking, as well as the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

It was first reported on June 14 that the Johor government is reviewing the current Friday and Saturday weekend rest days in the state following complaints by the public.

Following that, Malay Mail reported on June 20 that the state government may implement an official two-and-a-half-day weekend, with Friday as a half-day, followed by Saturday and Sunday as weekend rest days.

In late 2013, Sultan Ibrahim decreed the change of the state’s weekend rest days to Friday and Saturday from Saturday and Sunday.

Since January 1, 2014, Johor has been observed Friday and Saturday as its official weekend rest days.

In Malaysia, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu also observe Friday and Saturday as official weekend rest days.