Johor to revert to Saturday and Sunday weekend from Jan 1, 2025

JOHOR BAHRU - Johor will be reverting its weekend to Saturday and Sunday from the current Friday and Saturday weekend.

Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim said on Oct 7 that the weekend will be changed back to Saturday and Sunday starting from January 2025.

“Following the consent and blessing from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and after considering the views of the Johor Islamic Religious Council, I would like to announce that starting Jan 1, 2025, Johor’s weekend will be changed to Saturday and Sunday,” he said in a statement on Facebook.

He added that he had also decreed for Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the Johor Mufti to discuss and study the matter thoroughly.

“I hope that the private sector, the government and related parties allow sufficient time and space for Muslim workers to perform Friday prayers accordingly,” he added.

The shift to a Saturday-Sunday weekend will impact about 2.5 million people statewide, including 587,343 school students, according to Datuk Onn Hafiz.

The rest of the 1.94 million workforce consists of government and private-sector employees.

He added that aligning the weekend would reduce scheduling conflicts between the government and private sectors.

“This change will also allow families to spend more time together and enhance cross-border economic activities,” he said.

Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah also welcomed the weekend switch, saying it would benefit business activities, particularly those outside Johor and internationally.

On Jan 1, 2014, Johor had changed its weekend to Friday and Saturday as a mark of respect for Friday’s importance to Muslims and in recognition of Islam as the state’s religion.

The change was in fact a reversion to the state’s original weekend in effect during its days as an unfederated Malay state.

Before that, Johor had switched to a Saturday and Sunday weekend in 1994, implemented during Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as the state’s chief minister.

The latest decision was met with positive responses from the public.

One Facebook user praised the move, writing that it was a “practical and down-to-earth” decision.

Another remarked that Johor is preparing for the special economic zone with Singapore, a move that necessitates synchronised timing. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK