This has to be the best article I have read in newspaper for the month.
However, in economic term, one shutdown day during a weekday in the nation’s capital means hundreds of millions loss in business and investments. There is also the massive loss in valuable manhours and productivity.
There had also been lost opportunity to make some big money in the foreign bourses, all because we are having a holiday while the stock exchanges in other countries are open.
One good example of a lost opportunity was the recent world stock market meltdown when smart investors could cash in to make a tidy profit the following day. We missed out because we were having a holiday!
Take, for example, the annual Federal Territories Day on 1st February each year. Such a holiday could be instituted on the first Saturday of February each year.
In this way, we need not worry about losing a weekday of business and trade, even if Feb 1 is a weekday.
There is a precedent for this. Years ago, the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad changed the official birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong from the first Wednesday of June to the first Saturday of June.
Perhaps, it is time to consider making the first Saturday of February each year the Federal Territories Day. The price of a working weekday siesta is surely too high.
Brilliant. But I know it will only remain an illusion.
for employers, YES…
as an employees, NO…BIG NO…^^
if flexibility is given, certainly employer will say yes…
Just FYI,
Since thaipusam is public holiday for KL and Putrajaya…
ppl like me, lives in KL work in Selangor, can no longer take chance to do things like visiting banks etc.>
Ah..In Oz, if the holiday falls on Sat, the following Mon is a holiday. Half of them complained, saying billions of AUD was wasted.
And..already, they don’t have so many hols like Malaysia.
Seriously, Malaysia has TOO MANY holidays! But, speaking of foreign bourses, can’t u still invest via a foreign broker? Via Singapore?
Oh no for me..
actually i always wonder…
Did anybody really do a serious calculation and do comparison of our holidays with other countries ah?..hehe
well, no doubt, Malaysia has lots of holidays…
but..is daily working hours being taken into consideration?
rate of OT compared to others..and etc…^^ just curious..
well, as an employee (without much investment to do)….
still stick to the believe “work smart > work hard” and emphasize more on EFFICIENCY ^^
What you say contradict yourself
If you talk about working smart, then we should aim for the shortest working hour everyday.
We must reject OT, at all cost.
Then only we are working smart, right?
If we can only work 6 hours per day, and get all the work done, that is call working smart.
But no, that is not the issue here.
The issue is: If you close down the whole country for a day, and I mean forcefully close down the country for a day, what benefit you get?
No. You are not letting those workers having a better life.
Contrary to it, they are
1) Trying to achieve the same productivity by having OT, which is rather stupid way of working
2) As the productivity will never remain the same, and the country slide, actually overall, the worker earn much less
So the government actually is forcing the ppl to earn less, by giving everyone more holiday, but everyone seems to be happy and thanking the government
Gosh. Can it get any worse?
well, just different point of view lah..my view is as a small employee view ^^….
company off on saturday…so weekdays longer working hour…
so…similar case:
1) work longer hours a bit during weekdays, get saturday off, or
2) work shorter hours, but work on saturday..
for me, i’ll choose (1)
FT day is country close down….well, i really have not much idea on that..
but can kind of imagine lah…
but public holiday -> paid leave right? (moreover, some give a lot of $$ for Holiday OT) ofcoz only if they really need to get work done.
bosses will always push for productivity…so…if tomolo is off, get the work done yesterday loh..
a lot of bosses very kiam siap, give only 8 days of annual leave…so employee can only pray that next public holiday will be around soon. ^^
well, anyway i guess if u’re talking about country economy, it will affect lah…
Doc..Don’t anger…don’t anger..breathe in breathe out…..breathe in breathe out…
Dropped by to wish u n your family a GONG XI GONG XI!!!!!!
Have a Happy, Healthy and Wealthy new year of the rat ahead!
breathe in…breathe out..ok?
mott, don’t worry
I am not angry.
I don’t need to clear bramble and bushes with a big tummy ^-^