Did prime minister Anwar Ibrahim fail to consult industry and business leaders before embarking on his populist move of declaring Friday April 21 a public holiday?

Malaysia already observes 14 days of public holidays whilst East Malaysia enjoys only 13 days. Each state also has its own provision and entitlement for additional public holidays.

Has a study been conducted on how performance and productivity will be affected?

According to Bernama, deputy finance minister Ahmad Maslan claimed that the additional public holiday for Hari Raya Puasa would not affect the private sector because “…the festive atmosphere is felt by all communities…It’s not troubling and hurting (the private sector).”

He claimed that the additional holiday was similar to the free “rahmah” toll implemented by the government to help the public.

This is the four-day toll waiver along 33 highways over the Raya period.

Malaysians are not daft. “Rahmah” should not be used to justify this populist gimmick.

Just imagine the headache created by the extra unscheduled public holidays for businesses, homes, schools, offices, hospitals, clinics, law courts, factories and those in the impex (import and export) trade?

Populism is pure propaganda. It has everything to do with politics, popularity ratings and massaging egos.

Many companies will suffer. Absent workers mean orders for goods go unfulfilled. Those who attend work must be paid “public holiday” rates.

We suffered during the lockdown with many businesses struggling to survive. Few businesses can afford to pay their workers overtime rates!

Are politicians, whether they are from Harapan, Umno-Baru, Bersatu or PAS, pro-business or are they more focused on promoting self-interests instead of public interests?

The economy has slowed down, and many workers have been laid off with minimal compensation or warning.

People are struggling to feed their families whilst business owners are struggling to retain their staff and still remain open for business.

There is already a chorus of businesspeople voicing their frustration, and it is surprising not to hear any statement from the international or domestic trade ministries.

Are our politicians pro-business, or are they more focused on promoting self-interests instead of public interests?

One businessman said, “Having the right government policies helps promote business, but this latest populist measure is not helping the business or the Malaysian economy.”

A small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner said, “I have cut back on non-essentials for my business, but this public holiday announcement bites deep into my budget.

“We’d like to think we are a caring company. I have loyal staff and we look after them well. They are like gold dust. We pay them double wages on public holidays.

“We do a lot of dealings with overseas clients and as a family business, I do not have a large number of employees to fall back on, unlike the multinationals.

“We have to keep to deadlines. If the staff are off work, how can I meet that deadline? Did the PM or deputy finance minister think about productivity?

“If I pay my workers public holiday rates, this means reduced profits. How can I invest for the future? Things are already hard!”

Those with court cases, clinic/hospital appointments, interviews, orders for overseas clients, tourists, banks, and meetings at government departments will all be affected.

Will schools have to make up for the lost day(s) with extra lessons at the weekends to cover the curriculum?

Imagine the chaos arising from one simple unscheduled holiday announcement!

Career politicians are the worst sort of people to lead the country. If only they had been in business before kickstarting their political careers; but not the sort of corporate positions that many senior Umno-Baru politicians claim to have been in before becoming politicians.

They were probably chosen for their political influence and lobbying qualities, as they will have the “cable ke atas” (political links) for the business rather than for their business acumen.

Career politicians need to get a life first, and a proper job before they enter politics.

They need to know how ordinary people live, like putting food on the table, paying the mortgage, paying off car loans, worrying about their children’s education, taking care of their elderly parents and trying to save a little money each month for any possible emergency.

Career politicians have little idea how ordinary people manage. They also tend to wreck our lives with their policies.

They “see” things from their limited perspective. Perhaps, they depend on aides to advise them.

Look at the politicians who have messed up our lives. Some graduated, then became a researcher or aide to a politician.

Those from elite families like the convicted felon Najib Abdul Razak probably did a one-year stint at Petronas or other corporations. They then entered politics to make a killing.

Before embarking on a political career, they should learn a trade or skill, and make a success of their chosen living.

Once they have matured, both as people and wage-earners, they can return to politics (if they were previously a politician) and act from a position of strength.

When the Malaysian team won the AFF Suzuki Cup against Indonesia in 2010, then prime minister Najib declared a public holiday.

It was a political move, to boost his ego and his popularity rating.

One would have thought that Anwar would not have fallen for such a populist gimmick.

Who benefits from this unplanned public holiday? Who do you think?

The ultimate losers are Malaysian businesses and taxpayers.

Sources:

1. Channel NewsAsia: Extra Hari Raya Puasa public holiday will not hurt private sector: Malaysian minister
2. Google: Malaysia public holidays

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)