Stakeholders hope for new weekend rest days

A file picture of the Johor Baru skyline. - THOMAS YONG/The Star

IT HAS been almost 10 years since Johor decided to change its weekend rest days to Friday and Saturday.

Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar announced the change from Saturday and Sunday during an investiture ceremony in Muar to mark his 55th birthday in 2013.

He had decreed that the rest days would change beginning Jan 1, 2014, to make it more convenient for Muslims to perform Friday prayers.

However, unlike Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu which also observe Friday and Saturday as their weekend rest days, the Johor situation is unique as the change involved only the government sector.

The private sector maintained their rest days on Saturday and Sunday.

That means you can still go to the bank to carry out transactions on a Friday.

A long time ago when Johor was an Unfederated Malay State, the state observed Friday and Saturday as its rest days.

It only switched to a Saturday and Sunday weekend in 1994 during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as Mentri Besar.

Since the last change in 2014, there have been regular viral messages about weekends reverting to Saturday and Sunday or the private sector being forced to also change their rest days.

Recently, the rumour mill started churning faster when newly minted Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, in his maiden address to civil servants and non-governmental organisations, said he had been listening to their grouses about the different rest days for the government and private sectors, and that the matter was under review.

He handed over their feedback to Sultan Ibrahim earlier this month.

Many quarters were elated when a recent WhatsApp message made its rounds, saying that the change to Saturday and Sunday would be announced before the November school break.

However, this viral message was quickly rubbished by the state government, which said it was still too early for anything to be announced as Onn Hafiz had just presented the feedback to Sultan Ibrahim.

Now, talk is rife that the Johor Palace, after taking into account feedback from various quarters including the rakyat, may be favourable to the idea.

However, a handful of civil servants and religious officials want the status quo maintained.

A recent meeting of stakeholders with the Johor government in Kota Iskandar on the matter revealed that business groups were strongly in favour of the change.

Many feel the state needs radical solutions to jump-start its economy which was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Due to its close proximity to Singapore, there is a need to enhance relations with the republic and streamline working days so that both sides can complement each other.

Local groups feel that the Sultan’s recent official working visit to Singapore along with the Mentri Besar and other top Johor officials was a step in the right direction.

“Johor has ambitions to be a global player and we should tap Singapore’s success,” a local leader pointed out.

The streamlining of the weekends will also help synchronise interactions between the Johor government and Federal Government.

Many from Johor who live and work in Singapore are eagerly hoping for a change in the rest days as this will allow them to spend more time with their children and spouses in Johor.

Obviously, the pros outweigh the cons with regard to the change of rest days and many are pinning their hopes on the Johor Ruler to make a favourable decision.