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Too much of a good thing

Friday, 11 May 2007 08:37am

©The Star (Used by permission)
WHY NOT? by Wong Sai Wan

Malaysians seem to have many public holidays and there are fears this could affect the country’s productivity.

AIYAAA! This was how Jimmy greeted me when we met up last Tuesday for a cup of coffee.

“The US (stock) market is making a breakthrough to record levels and everywhere else is also following suit,” said Jimmy, an analyst with a stockbroking firm.

“But here in Malaysia, we are on long holiday and there is nothing we can do. There are just too many public holidays in Malaysia.”

The three days of public holidays fell within the seven days of April 26 to May 2. Yes, April 26 was not a public holiday for every one even though it was the installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, but many firms decided to follow the government holiday anyway.

I am sure many private companies took the day off as a show of respect for the King, but I am also equally sure the bosses had one eye on the fact that banks were also closed that day.

As for the public holidays on May 1 and May 2, it was because both Wesak Day and Workers Day fell on the same date this year, thus the two days in a row.

Jimmy was bemoaning the long holiday period because Bursa Malaysia was closed on all three days.

“There was money to be made, but we could not avail of it. There is no guarantee that the foreign markets will hold up until we come back to work on Thursday (May 3),” he said while polishing off his second cup of kopi-O.

Tan, a developer, shared Jimmy's sentiments, but he was more worried about the “overall effect such long holidays will have on our economy.”

“I don't think our economy, which is just on the verge of a breakthrough, can afford such a prolonged time-off. I am sure our productivity and industrial output figures for April and May will be affected,” said Tan, whose company decided not to declare April 26 a public holiday.

“It is just too expensive to declare it a holiday. As a construction company, we have workers working every day and an extra holiday means having to pay overtime. This is an unexpected and un-budgeted cost,” he added.

Despite steady growth over the past 24 months, the country’s industrial output fell in February. The Statistics Department cited the extended Chinese New Year holidays, thus a shorter working period and the slowed production.

A colleague's husband, Bob, a Canadian who had been in Malaysia for more than a decade, said: “I was born in Canada, worked in the US and Australia; and of all places Malaysia has the most public holidays.”

But is it true?

Look at the accompanying chart. Thailand takes top spot with 24. This is followed by Hong Kong with 18 and then only Malaysia with 13 national holidays. Singapore has just 11 days, and the United States a day less.

In Malaysia, the states declare an additional one to four holidays, bringing the total in Johor, Kedah, Perlis and Terengganu to 17, the highest. This year, curiously, many of the holidays fall on either a Sunday, Monday or Friday, creating long weekends.

When told of the comparisons, Tan said it reflected badly on the attitude of Malaysian workers.

“Our workforce loves holidays too much. All the workers had to do (the previous week) was just take April 27 and April 30 off and they had seven whole days off.

“I heard that some people took leave on May 3-4 as well and were away from work for 11 days,” he added.

I can't help but agree with my good friend that extending public holidays with leave seems to be a very Malaysian thing.

The eve of the public holiday is probably the most chaotic evening in the Klang Valley (and I am sure elsewhere in the country, too) because the people will be travelling outstation.

Productivity is at its lowest level on the eve of, and the day after, long holidays.

However, Leong, a colleague, has a different take on the holidays.

“Domestic tourism, mah,” he said, as if it was the answer to the questions raised.

One of the main reasons the Government gave in reducing the working days of public servants to five was that it would encourage local travel.

Leong felt that long holidays would enable the people to balik kampung or go outstation for a short break. This, he pointed out, would spur the economy of those places visited.

Another colleague, Chris, said while one sector of the economy rests and plays, other sectors like travel and retail would be hard at work during such a period.

“The economy is still moving,” said Chris, who also called me a party-pooper for wanting to comment on long holidays.

He also cited his visit to shopping complexes over May 1-2, and found them packed with people.

“I could not even get to park my car. The takings must have been good for the retailers,” he said, adding that there was no sale going on.

After a short research, I found out the reason these places were packed. It was Spider-Man 3.

The film's opening-day gross was the biggest single-day takings recorded in the country as 200,000 people watched the movie in 65 cinemas nationwide on the Workers Day holiday.

Okay, so the leisure industry scored big by releasing the movie during this period.

Also, the stock market re-opened on Thursday to record highs and this continued through this week, much to the joy of Jimmy who now has no time again to have coffee with me.

As for me, I managed to dismantle the kitchen table, fix four chairs and reload all the software into the computer during that prolonged holiday, chores that I had promised to do for the past six months.

Holidays are like durians. Too much of a good thing will cause indigestion.

Wong Sai Wan, who is Senior News Editor, also managed to get in a game of golf on May 1 but his rotten putting and driving made him wish he were at work.