‘Declare Christmas eve holiday in Labuan, too’
Published on: Sunday, December 15, 2019
By: Sohan Das
LABUAN: Parti Warisan Sabah here and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) have both called for Christmas-eve which falls on Dec 24 to also be declared an additional holiday similar to the move in Sabah.
Labuan Warisan Chief cum Member of Parliament Datuk Rozman Isli and PBS Chief Datuk Peter Mark both said making Dec 24 an additional Christmas holiday was a “wonderful” Christmas gift from Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
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“The decision reflected the Chief Minister’s vision. We now request Federal Territories Minister Datuk Khalid Abdul Samad to allow a holiday on Christmas eve for Labuan as well.
“Sabah has strong ancestral ties to Labuan and is also politically linked. Besides, Warisan being a partner of Pakatan Harapan all component parties of PH are present in Sabah such as PKR, DAP, Amanah and PPBM.”
He also noted that in the last general election, though Warisan was a new Sabah-based party its candidate secured a massive 8,714 votes showing the strong attachment of residents here to Sabah. An additional holiday would enhance the mood of Christmas celebrations here.
Peter, in welcoming the announcement of Shafie said: “The island state had been under Sabah jurisdiction for hundreds of years. It was federalised in 1984 (34 years ago) but the cultural and historical connections with Sabah have remained.”
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He said the extra holiday would enable hundreds from here to be on time to attend the Christmas eve mass and celebrate with their family, loved ones and friends. “The additional day will also be seen as a gesture of goodwill from the Federal Government showing recognition and acceptance to the diversity of communities here. Labuan has always been described as a role model from unity and it deserved a reward for this,” added Peter.
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He said another point was that the additional day would help reduce congestion at the ferry terminal rising from the exodus of hundreds on the same day.
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He said if an additional holiday was not immediately possible, the Government should set the example and approve unrecorded leave for staff who celebrate. “This could lead to the private sector doing... the same later, we hope it would be a holiday next year.”