Updated: Pahang announces 30 and 31 July as public holidays

This story has been updated on 10 July 2019.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail has just announced that both 30 and 31 July (Tuesday and Wednesday) will be public holidays in the state of Pahang.

The previously-announced holiday on 30 July is in conjunction with the birthday of the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who earlier this year ascended to become Agong of Malaysia.

Meanwhile, 30 July has also been decided as the day to make the Agong's coronation ceremony.

Thus, as the Chief Minister says, given that the two occasions fall on the same day, yet mark two important occasions, the additional public holiday has been accorded.

As a quick reminder from Malaysia's Employment Act, employees are entitled to 10 paid holidays in a calendar year, four of which shall be: National Day; the Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong; Birthday of the Ruler or the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or the Federal Territory Day; and Workers' Day.

The following are the conditions regarding public holidays:

1. Where any of the gazetted public holidays falls within the period during which an employee is on sick leave or annual leave to which the employee is entitled, or falls during the period of temporary disablement, the employer shall grant another day as a paid holiday in substitution.
2. Any employee who absents himself from work on the working day immediately preceding or immediately succeeding a public holiday without the prior consent of his employer shall not be entitled to any holiday pay for such holiday unless he has a reasonable excuse for the absence.
3. An employee on a monthly rate of pay shall be deemed to have received his holiday pay if he receives from his employer his monthly wages, without abatement in respect of the holiday, for the month in which the holiday falls.
4. Any employee may be required by his employer to work on any paid holiday and in such event he shall, in addition to the holiday pay he is entitled to for that day --(i) in the case of an employee employed on a monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, or other similar rate of pay, be paid two days' wages at the ordinary rate of pay; or in the case of an employee employed on piece rates, be paid twice the ordinary rate per piece.
5. For any overtime work carried out by an employee in excess of the normal hours of work on a paid public holiday, the employee shall be paid at a rate which is not less than three times his hourly rate of pay.
6. An employee who works on a holiday shall be entitled to a travelling allowance for that day if payable to him under the terms of his agreement with his employer but such employee shall not be entitled to receive an increased rate of any housing allowance or food allowance.

Effective this year, the government of Pahang has announced 30 July as a public holiday.

This is in conjunction with the birthday of the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who earlier this year ascended to become Agong of Malaysia.

The announcement, made under Malaysia's 1951 Holidays Act (Act 369), subsection 9 (1), was shared by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, as well as the circular is being distributed by the state government secretary's office.

Lead photo / 123RF