***As usual, our comments will be marked with red.
Businesses here are worried that they will be affected if Johor is to revert its Saturday-Sunday weekend to Friday-Saturday.
Johor Indian Business Association (Jiba) president P. Sivakumar called for a proper study to be conducted before any change is made.
He said investments in the state, especially in Iskandar Malaysia, would lose out.
“It is not timely for such change in Johor, especially with rapid development and foreign investments taking place here,” he told The Star yesterday.
Johor Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries deputy president Datuk Loh Liam Hiang said many business owners were concerned over the matter.
“Johor Baru is on its way to becoming an international cosmopolitan city due to Iskandar Malaysia. Such changes to our rest days will take us backwards.
“Many countries observe Saturday and Sunday as rest days and it will be hard for us to attract foreign investors to come here (if there is a change),” he said.
Prior to 1994, Johor had observed Friday and Saturday as the weekend.
State Secretary Datuk Obet Tawil has lodged a police report after a state administration circular, claiming that the Sultan of Johor had decreed weekends to be changed from Saturday and Sunday to Friday and Saturday, was widely circulated on social media sites.
Police are investigating how a confidential matter became public, with three reports lodged so far.
Such a leak is an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
Johor Council of the Royal Court secretary Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli said Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar would decide only after getting feedback from the royal court, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Nordin and his exco members and the state Pardons Board.
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| His Highness The Sultan Of Johore |
He also clarified that the information was not from the palace or the royal court because neither of these institutions had Facebook accounts or social media groups representing them.
Currently, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu have Friday and Saturday as their off days.
Perlis, which once had these days as the weekend, switched its weekends about the same time Johor followed the rest of the country to have Saturday and Sunday as the off days.
***We pray that the Sultan of Johore would not permit this particular act of changing the weekends to Friday and Saturday. Our Muslims friends can pray on Friday afternoon as always. We have been accustomed to it since 1992. Why change it now? We Christian have to go to Church on Sunday and some even Saturday. Bear in mind that Friday prayers for Muslims is during lunch time. Our sermons are held on Sunday morning. Can employers permit their Christian workers to go to church on Sunday morning?
Please! Don't change stuff that we don't need change. Khalid Nordin needs to get his act together!
Please! Don't change stuff that we don't need change. Khalid Nordin needs to get his act together!
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