Traffic congestion in Johor Baru city centre is already bad on most days and stakeholders fear the situation will worsen on Saturday and Sunday. — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star
But shop owners worry about added traffic, lack of manpower
MANY Johoreans are looking forward to the reintroduction of the Saturday-Sunday weekend from next year, after more than a decade of Friday-Saturday break.
The move has received positive feedback, with many believing that it will help strengthen family bonds.
Mother-of-three Joey Wong is happy with the change as it means that she gets to spend more time with her children, aged between eight and 12.
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“I work in the private sector and my company opted for a Saturday-Sunday weekend.
“This means that I only have one day to spend with my kids as they have school on Sundays.
“Sometimes, schools will also have extra programmes they have to attend on Saturdays, leaving me with even less time with them.
Weekends are very busy for most Johor shops because of the surge in the number of customers from Singapore.
“We also do not have much time on weekdays as they are usually tired after school and have tuition classes too,” said the account executive.
Managing director of a flag manufacturing factory, Annie Chia said it would not make much of a difference to her factory’s operations as it had been practising Saturday and Sunday as its days off.
“For the private sector, we get to choose whether to have Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday.”
For Chia, her only concern is not having enough time to settle matters involving government departments.
“Usually, I will go to a government office on Sunday, as it is my day off and government offices are open. This will no longer be the case.
“One of my staff has to go for regular check-ups at a government hospital.
“She would normally do so on a Sunday, but she now has to take leave for that.
“For me, that is the only downside, but other than that, I think it is a good move,” said Chia.
Traffic worries
There are two major concerns among Johoreans about the move – traffic congestion and the lack of parking.
This is mainly because the new weekend overlaps with the weekend in Singapore where there is usually an influx of visitors from the island republic.
Businessman Phang Yon Siong said the congestion around Johor Baru town had gotten worse over the years, discouraging people from visiting his shop where he sells and repairs watches.
“I am supportive of the change back to Saturday and Sunday, but my main concern is congestion.
“I have brought the matter up with Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), but there is not much they can do as there is limited space in this area.
“If nothing is done, the situation will worsen once the change in weekends starts in less than two weeks,” he told StarMetro when met at his shop in the city centre.
He suggested that a multi-storey carpark be built near the downtown area to accommodate the high number of cars.
Echoing his sentiments was store manager Aminah Othman.
Finding parking space is a challenge at roads around the city centre.
“Even on weekdays, the congestion is already very bad with hardly any parking space.
“It is worse on the weekend as we will also have crowds driving here from Singapore.
“If the situation continues, it may be difficult for us to keep our customers or attract new ones.”
Aminah said she too had been stuck in traffic despite knowing several shortcuts.
“I have been working here for years, and I know which roads to avoid.
“However, I still get stuck in traffic,” said Aminah, who manages a shop selling textiles and traditional Indian clothes.
Businessman Stanley Yeow, who is the third-generation owner of a mattress shop in town, said it was difficult for him and his customers to load and unload goods.
“Our concern is not only about parking and congestion but also whether there is space to load and unload the mattresses.
“On top of that, there is also hardly any parking for my company lorry, and I have to be here by 6am or 7am just to get a place to park at the back of my shop.
“I think the only long-term solution is by improving public transport,” he said.
Yeow says it is already difficult to unload goods at his shop due to the lack of parking space.
Retiree K. Arumugan also hopes that the state government will improve public transport.
“We need reliable public transport in Johor and ensure information about routes and schedules can be found easily.
“I notice buses, including the ones run by Johor Public Transport Corporation (PAJ), are mostly empty.
“This may be because it is not easy for people to find the schedule and destination of the buses.
“If this can be improved, I think more people may be encouraged to use public transport,” Arumugan said, adding this could significantly ease road congestion.
Manpower concerns
Businesses are also looking into other ways to prepare for the change, including increasing manpower.
Johor Baru Bazaar Karat Development and Welfare Association president Fuad Rahmat said they planned to take several measures to prepare for the weekend shift.
“Since our bazaar is located in the centre of Johor Baru, we need to prepare as we expect a larger crowd.
“We plan to increase security and cleaning staff and work with traders on ways to manage the crowd.
“We are also looking into improving our facilities, including parking,” he said.
Fuad added that Johor Baru Bazaar Karat would work with MBJB to manage traffic in the area and prevent congestion.
Fuad says Johor Baru Bazaar Karat is preparing for more customers next year.
Johor Baru Coffee, Restaurants and Bar Operators Association chairman Wee Liang Fatt said some businesses might have extra workers on standby to cope with the expected surge in customers.
“We expect higher foot traffic as Singaporeans, who make up a significant portion of visitors here, also have the same weekend.
“We can already see this on Saturday. Based on this, we expect even more people to come during weekends next year.
“As such, some businesses may consider employing extra workers, while others may wait until the change takes effect before deciding whether additional manpower is necessary,” he said.
Wee said hiring new workers was not easy, as many locals prefer working in Singapore where they could earn more due to the exchange rate.
“This is an ongoing issue. Many business owners now rely on family members as it is difficult to hire local staff.
“I encourage businesses, especially those in the food industry, to adopt modern technology,” he added.
Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association (Perusim) secretary-general Hussein Ibrahim said its members would wait to assess the situation before deciding on manpower needs.
“We will see how things unfold once the new weekend is implemented next year.
Hussein says more employees may be rostered to work on Saturday and Sunday.
“It is not easy for us to get workers these days.
“Instead of hiring more workers, some businesses may choose to adjust the roster of their existing staff and have more people work on Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
The official announcement came in October through a Facebook statement from Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
“Following consent and blessing from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and after considering the views of the Johor Islamic Religious Council, I would like to announce that starting Jan 1, 2025, Johor’s weekend off days will be changed to Saturday and Sunday,” wrote Tunku Ismail.
He also stated that he had instructed Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Johor Mufti to engage in a thorough discussion and study of the 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 said.
Johor has been observing Friday and Saturday as its official rest days since Jan 1, 2014, as a mark of respect for Friday’s importance to Muslims and in recognition of Islam as the state’s religion.
The change was a reversion to the state’s original weekend during its days as an Unfederated Malay State.
Johor observed a Saturday-Sunday weekend in 1994 when it was implemented during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure as mentri besar.
