Kings Palace, Malaysia

The September 9th public holiday is compulsory for Malaysian employees

Asia

The public holiday on September 9th in conjunction with the birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is a compulsory holiday for employees, said the Human Resources Ministry today.

This was provided for under section 60D (1) of the Employment Act 1955, said the ministry in a statement.

Since the holiday for the Kings installation on July 30th was announced, many have been unsure whether the holiday for the birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would still be observed this year. The statement clarified that the King’s installation was an additional public holiday.

The ministry added that as July 30th was a public holiday, employers were required to inform employees as to whether they would observe the holiday or replace it on another date in the year, failing which employees who had worked on the public holiday were required to be paid wages in accordance with the rate stipulated for public holidays.

The Malaysian King is one of the few elected monarchs in the world. Since 1993, the full title in Malay has been, Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is called the Raja Permaisuri Agong. They are referred to in English as “His Majesty” and “Her Majesty”.

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