In the common calendar (aka The Gregorian Calendar), Saturday and Sunday have always been the weekend everyone looks forward to but it looks like Pahang’s weekends may no longer be these typical days anymore.
This is because Rosli Abdul Jabar (PAS-Tanjung Lumpur) proposed to turn Friday – and also Saturday –into a weekend to accommodate Muslims who perform their prayers on Friday, reported The Star.
Source: Youtube
However, Chow Yu Hui (PH-Tras) wasn’t on board with the proposal as he believes that changing the days will place Islam above all in a multicultural community, so he urged the government not to implement the proposal for the sake of inclusiveness. Do you agree with Chow?
In the debate that went on for two days, Chow also noted that the implementation may affect the businesses in Pahang, especially if foreign investors were interested.
Source: Malaysiakini
Nonetheless, Andansura Rabu (PAS-Beserah) pointed out that this move wasn’t new because four other states in Malaysia have already started this practice. One of them is Johor, where he said that although the people there have a more “complex racial makeup” compared to Pahang, they accepted the change of Friday as a rest day.
“If we’re talking about democracy, Islam needs to be given the priority based on racial lines,” Andansura said, adding that Pahang should follow in the footsteps of Kelantan and Terengganu.
He also noted that the unfixed prayer times cause Muslims to rush for Friday prayers without eating because there’s not enough time.
Source: The Nation
On the other hand, Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob (BN-Pelangi) wants to retain the standard weekend days and argued that the work hours can be adjusted if people feel that the prayer times are not fixed. Hmm…maybe it’s a good idea?
He also suggested that a survey should be conducted on the number of Muslims in the mosques if Friday was an off day.
Further opposing the proposal, Young Syefura Othman (PH-Ketari) said that a majority of Johorians have complained that family time has been affected because the private sectors’ workdays clash with school days.
Source: Malaysian Insight
She was quoted as saying,
“We have to understand that in Johor, the private sector’s workdays are still from Monday to Friday. That only leave parents in the private sector with Saturday as family time.”
She later added this predicament also proposes a problem when organising community activities over the weekends.
Despite the opposing ideas on the matter, Rosli still stands by his proposal as he states that some employees may be reluctant to allow their workers to go for prayers hence this move could solve the problem.
Source: Youtube
He then strengthened his proposal by adding that the move will be beneficial for businesses compared to the normal six hours working time on Fridays.
“If we change Sunday into a workday, this actually increases productivity as we now have the full eight-hours,” he said whilst urging the state government to study the matter further.
Rosli proposal seems like an interesting one and it’s definitely not a new implementation because four states are already practising it. Do you think Pahang weekends should be changed? Let us know in the comments!
Also read: Parking in Melaka on Weekends and Public Holidays Will Be FREE Starting 15 June
