Friday weekend leads to topsy-turvy world for JB families

JOHOR BARU: It will be a topsy-turvy world for some families when Johor reverts to Friday and Saturday as the weekly rest days come New Year.

This is due to the state’s proximity to Singapore, where many Malay­sians go to work with Saturday and Sunday as off days.

Finance manager Michelle Chow, 43, said: “I am disappointed that Sunday will not be our family day anymore,” she said, explaining that while she works in Johor Baru and her children – aged seven and nine – study here, her husband works in Singapore.

Siti Suriani Jemal, 38, an administrative assistant with a property developer, said she worries about 11-year-old daughter Nur Amirah Batlisya, a Year Five pupil at SK Taman Perling here, would be at home alone on Friday as she and her husband work in Singapore.

“The babysitter has already told us she will not be available on Friday.”

Civil servant Halimah Ahmad, 53, said: “My husband works from Monday to Friday and I will be at work from Saturday to Thursday. Our four children who work in Kuala Lumpur can only visit us on Saturday and Sunday.”

Singaporean Hassan Embi, 53, who has a weekend home in Johor Baru said he likes the switch as he could settle his utility bills at the post office that would operate on Sundays.

Meanwhile, it will be business as usual for most companies in Johor as they are likely to maintain the Saturday-Sunday weekend.

SMI Association of Malaysia national president Teh Kee Sin said its members welcomed the call by Association of Banks in Malaysia for banks in the state to operate from Monday to Friday.

Most of our members prefer to maintain Saturday and Sunday as the weekly off-days,” said Teh.

Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor Chapter chairman Tengku Ahmad Faisal Tengku Mohamed said the change in weekend was good as it would boost domestic tourism.