JOHOR BAHRU: Residents of Johor are eagerly taking advantage of the recently announced change to the weekend holiday schedule, which now falls on Saturdays and Sundays, to visit local attractions with their families. This shift has provided families with the chance to enjoy more synchronized leisure time together.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, one of the popular destinations benefiting from this change is the Johor Zoo, attracting parents and children alike. Many visitors are so enthusiastic about the new schedule that they arrive as early as an hour before the official 9 a.m. opening to make the most of their day.
Nurul Nadira Ismail, a 29-year-old teacher from Sekolah Agama Desa Pulada, visited the zoo with her husband, Muhd Irfan Zekri. She shared that their outing had been meticulously planned over the past two weeks. Nurul Nadira described the challenges they faced due to differing weekend schedules in the past, with her husband working in a factory with weekends on Saturday and Sunday, while hers fell on Friday and Saturday. “Now that we share the same weekend holiday, it will be much easier for us to go anywhere without any restrictions,” she remarked.
Similarly, Daniel Nanang, a 36-year-old supervisor in the oil and gas sector, echoed these sentiments. Originally from Miri, Sarawak, and residing in Johor since 2005, Daniel highlighted how previous mismatches between his work weekends and his children’s school weekends had forced his family to postpone vacations. “We, as parents, are pleased with the adjustment to the weekend holiday, as it encourages families to spend more time together and strengthens family bonds,” he stated.
The shift in the weekend schedule was announced by the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, on October 7 of the previous year. It will take effect on January 1, 2025, following the approval of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim and after considering recommendations from the Johor Islamic Religious Council. This change marks a return to the Saturday-Sunday weekend observed prior to January 1, 2014, when the state, with the Sultan’s consent, had initially switched to a Friday-Saturday weekend. Currently, other states such as Terengganu, Kelantan, and Kedah continue to observe weekends on Fridays and Saturdays.