PETALING JAYA: Malaysian employees may be rooting for different parties in the election, but most are united in wanting May 6 to be declared a public holiday.
English tutor Muhammad Adam Senin, 24, said he would be on duty as a polling clerk tomorrow.
“I will be working at the polling station in Ampang from 6.45am to at least 7pm, which is longer than my average working hours.
“A public holiday on May 6 would be great since I can rest for a day before going back to work,” he said.
Tan Yu Wan, 27, a lawyer, believes the new government “owes it to the voters” to declare a public holiday as most Malaysians would have done their job by going out to vote.
Accountant M. Murugan, 34, agreed, but said he would not mind working if there was no public holiday on May 6.
However, the Malaysian Employers Federation said a public holiday at such short notice would leave a negative impact on companies.
“An ad hoc public holiday will come at additional costs to employers and also disrupt important work plans for the day,” said MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan.
He noted that some organisations, like hotels and restaurants, would have to pay for overtime and other allowances to their staff to work on a public holiday.
“Plus, companies might have to reschedule meetings, which can cause heavy disruption to productivity, especially if foreign representatives are involved,” said Shamsuddin.
Meanwhile, analyst Ellen Chua, 22, believed some employees would want a holiday on May 6 for fear of disturbances in the aftermath of polling day.
“The extra day off will also be appreciated by those who will have to travel to their hometowns to vote,” she added.
However, Chua said the fear of trouble was unwarranted and expressed confidence that the situation would be “okay and normal” the next day.
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