JOHOR is reverting to having its weekend rest days on Saturday and Sunday from next year, announced Johor regent, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

Tunku Ismail said he had obtained the Yang di Pertuan-Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s consent for this decision and also took into account the state Islamic council’s views on the matter.

“I have decreed for the Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, and Johor mufti to discuss and study every angle and aspect regarding this matter.

“I hope that the private sector, the government and related parties allow sufficient time and space for Muslim workers to perform Friday prayers accordingly,” he posted on his social media posts today.

In 2014, Sultan Ibrahim, who is the sultan of Johor, changed the state’s weekend to Friday and Saturday as a mark of respect for Friday’s importance to Muslims and as recognition of Islam as the state’s religion.

He had said that this was a reversion of the state’s original weekend, which had been in effect since the time Johor was an unfederated Malay state.

The switch to Saturday and Sunday was made in 1994 during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as the Menteri Besar. — TMR