THE Penang government will consider the need to make Deepavali a two-day public holiday in the state.
Responding to a supplementary question from Kumaran Krishnan (PH-Bagan Dalam) at the State Legislative Assembly today, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (PH-Padang Kota) explained that currently, only one-day public holiday is allocated for the annual celebration, as outlined in the official state circular.
“This is based on the Malaysia Holidays Act 1951 (Act 369) that governs public holidays and grants states the authority to decide on such matters.
“As of now, the state government has no plans to gazette a two-day public holiday for Deepavali but is open to further study the matter first.
“In the meantime, Indian public servants may take additional leave on their own during the celebration as permitted under the Public Service Department (JPA) guidelines,” said Chow.
Story by Riadz Akmal