Review the system of public holidays in Malaysia

DAP National Deputy Chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw requests the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to review the system of public holidays in Malaysia, so that we can compare favourably with developed nations. How do they deal with their holiday seasons?

Dr Tan comments on this issue after visiting the Park Department at the City Hall Kuala Lumpur (CHKL) at the Taman Wawasan, Jalan Raja Abdullah, KL and found that there was nobody in charge on 9 November, 2005.

The Prime Minister stresses on integrity and delivery service. All Malaysians should help him to achieve these. But then, we noticed that during the Ramadan fasting month, some civil servants were not putting in enough efforts.

November 3, 2005 was the Hari Raya. We expect people in the public and private sectors to take some time off to celebrate the auspicious occasion. The same applies to Chinese New Year and Deepavali.

Yesterday, I rang up the Park Department to find out if the person in charge of public parks Encik Zulkifli Endut was back. I was told by one of the clerks that he would be away until 14 November, 2005. But, I was assured that his deputy and technical assistant Encik Zairul Nizam went on site inspection yesterday and that he would definitely be in today.

Lo and behold, I went to the 19th and 20th floors of the Bangunan DBKL2 and found mostly empty desks and Encik Zairul Nizam had not turned up to work. There was nobody in charge of parks and sports centres in Kepong. I am going to see if any officer would be returning to work tomorrow. For instance, we want to know why the Menjalara Lake Garden in Kepong has no lake.

The Park Department is not the only Government office in the country that is not functioning. Many others have a similar problem.

Going on holidays is important. All work and no play may make a person dull. But, six days after Hari Raya, some officers should have been back. There should be a workable schedule for every department to function.

The 2020 Vision aims to make Malaysia a developed nation. We have only 15 years. We hope that Datuk Seri Abdullah look seriously into the system of public holidays in the country including the schedules for every department. How do we ensure that the delivery system is excellent?