The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is set to be installed as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) on the 31st of January 2024. This has raised one question among Malaysians, will that date be declared a public holiday?
Well, according to the Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, that date will not be a public holiday. In a report from Berita Harian, Fahmi stated that the matter of the 31st being declared a public holiday was not raised during the cabinet meeting.
He also stated that the next cabinet meeting will be held after the YDPA’s installation, which means that a public holiday being declared for the coming 31st of January is unlikely.
Historical precedence
Looking at the historical precedent, a public holiday was given in 2019 during Sultan Pahang’s installation as the YDPA. One year before that, a public holiday was also declared for the Sultan of Kelantan’s installation as the YDPA. Hence, it stands to reason that the people are expecting a public holiday to be declared for the 31st of January 2024.
So will there be a public holiday on the 31st of January? As of now, it’s looking highly unlikely. However, it also has to be remembered that the official statement regarding public holidays observed by the government usually comes from the Human Resources Ministry.
And as of now, the Human Resources Ministry has neither confirmed nor denied the 31st being a public holiday.
So perhaps, there is still room for optimism.
