Recently, it was announced that Malaysia’s state, Johor will switch to a Saturday-Sunday weekend starting from 1 January 2025.
Currently, Johor observes Fridays and Saturdays as official off days, a practice that lasted more than a decade. There are several states in Malaysia including Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah that adopt Friday and Saturday weekends.
The rest of the Malaysian states including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya, Labuan, Pahang, Perak, Malacca, Perlis and Negeri Sembilan practice Saturday-Sunday weekends.
So, why are there different weekends in Malaysian states?
Adopting Friday-Saturday Weekends
Historically, having Friday and Saturday as off days is a customary practice which started back in pre-independence days among unfederated Malay states at the time including Johor. In the Muslim religion, Friday is considered as an important day reserved for doing good things including reading the Quran, praying and performing charitable acts.
Setting Friday as an off day also allows Muslims to easily perform Friday prayers that take place during ‘zohor’ (a time of the day between afternoon and sunset) at mosques, which is compulsory for Muslim men in Malaysia.
In 2014, Johor and the previously unfederated Malay states changed its off days to Friday and Saturday in honour of the traditional practice and religious significance of Friday.
Notably, Johor is the only state where most of the private sectors including banks observe the Saturday-Sunday weekend while government services follow the Friday-Saturday off days.
In states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, both private sectors and government services observe Friday-Saturday off days.
Different Legislative Practices In Malaysian States
You might notice that there are legislative differences in states in Malaysia. For example, the state of Terengganu enforces a seating policy in cinemas where men, women and family are seated separately. This policy does not apply to other states, however.
Malaysia is a federation defined by union of several states under a central government. In a federation, the power to make laws and govern are shared by the central or federal government and states.
At the federal level, the parliament, which is the highest legislative body in the country, is responsible for making laws for all of Malaysia. There is also a federal government to run the country according to the laws.
At the same time, each state has the power to make its own laws through an institution known as the legislative assembly. It also has its own state government to run the state.
Who Benefits From The Change?
Switching to Saturday-Sunday weekends means that Johor residents will have aligned schedules. Previously, families were not able to spend as much time together as parents might work in private sectors while their children attend public schools that observe different off days.
Similarly, for those who reside in Johor and cross the border to Singapore for work every day would also have different rest days than their children who attend public schools in Johor.
These families shared only one rest day, which is Saturday. It is the only day when they are able to organise family events and holiday trips.
Additionally, realigning the weekends will also enhance efficiency for businesses. Globally, most countries adopt the Saturday-Sunday weekends, so keeping it consistent allows business owners to communicate with their customers during their business days.
Due to its location, Johor shares strong trading ties with Singapore. Having a common weekend is also expected to boost productivity in trading activities with Singapore, which adopts the Saturday and Sunday weekends.
Read Also: How Diesel And Other Fuel Subsidies Work In Malaysia?
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