---
title: "“Stop Giving Special Holidays!” – M’sia Commerce Assoc President Urges Gov’t To Be More Mindful In Declaring Public Holidays"
url: https://weirdkaya.com/stop-special-holiday-malaysia-govt-nccim/
date: 2023-05-18
modified: 2023-05-18
lang: en
author: "Yu Ang Tan"
description: "The National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) President, Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, has urged the government to refrain from declaring additional public holidays, an act he..."
categories:
  - "Current Affairs"
  - "Society"
tags:
  - "NCCIM"
  - "public holiday"
  - "public holiday malaysia"
  - "Soh Thian Lai"
  - "special holiday"
image: https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/22stop-giving-special-holidays22-msia-commerce-assoc-president-urges-govt-to-be-more-mindful-in-declaring-public-holidays.png
word_count: 328
---

# “Stop Giving Special Holidays!” – M’sia Commerce Assoc President Urges Gov’t To Be More Mindful In Declaring Public Holidays

The National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) President, Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, has urged the government to refrain from declaring additional public holidays, an act he labels as an unwelcome “surprise” to the business community.

![](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/malaysia-public-holiday.jpg)For illustrative purposes only. Photo: [Freepik](https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/beautiful-architecture-building-exterior-kuala-lumpur-city-malaysia_6899686.htm#query=malaysia%20holiday&position=0&from_view=search&track=ais)

## NCCIM president urges gov't to stop giving 'surprise'

According to [Sin Chew Daily](https://www.sinchew.com.my/?p=4687132), the Minister of Economic Affairs, Rafizi, responded by affirming that he would carry this message into cabinet discussions.

Rafizi addressed Soh Thian Lai's plea during his speech at the 2023 National Economic Forum.

> **Soh suggested that the government should not make decisions based on whims, such as impulsively declaring special holidays. I will bring this issue to the cabinet meeting for further discussion," he added.**

He humorously added that, unlike Soh, he cannot freely express his thoughts during cabinet meetings, saying, **"I can't speak my mind as I used to**."

## RM3 billion loss for every public holiday

Soh Thian Lai, who also serves as the president of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), noted that each time the government declares a special holiday, **it results in approximately RM 3 billion loss for the private sector.**

![Soh Tian Lai Public Holiday](https://cdn.weirdkaya.com/media/soh-tian-lai-public-holiday.png)Tan Sri Soh Tian Lai, screengrab via [Sin Chew Daily](https://www.sinchew.com.my/?p=4687132)

> **"The manufacturing industry alone loses RM 1 billion a day, with productivity also affected, and this doesn't even include staff salaries," he stated.**

Soh explained that the private sector incurs a loss of around RM 700 million on a public holiday. Furthermore, employees working on public holidays are entitled to triple pay, which amounts to roughly RM 2 billion.

Read also: [M’sian Woman Left Shaken After Metal Pole Pierces Right Through Her Car Windshield](https://weirdkaya.com/msian-woman-left-shaken-after-metal-pole-pierces-right-through-her-car-windshield/)

**"As such, the total loss in a day amounts to RM 3 billion," he said.**

> **"We request the government not to announce any more public holidays. We do not want these surprises. The government's job is to improve the economy and ensure the operation of government departments, not to declare holidays."**

### Read More:

- [I Was Lonely And Depressed For 2 Years After My Best Friend Took His Life, But It Taught Me To Be An Independent Person](https://weirdkaya.com/i-was-lonely-and-depressed-for-2-years-after-my-best-friend-took-his-life-but-it-taught-me-to-be-an-independent-person/)
- [M’sian Rider Casually Asks For RM100 From Uncle, Turns Out It Was Tan Sri Vincent Tan](https://weirdkaya.com/msian-rider-casually-asks-for-rm100-from-uncle-turns-out-it-was-tan-sri-vincent-tan/)
- [“I’ll Reduce The Cabinet Size If I Become PM In #GE15”, Promises Ismail Sabri](https://weirdkaya.com/reduce-cabinet-size-ismail-sabri/)
- [The Real MVPs: Here Are 10 Of The Longest Serving MPs In Malaysian History](https://weirdkaya.com/10-longest-serving-mps/)
- [“Give Us 2 Days Of Cuti Lah!” — M’sians Beg PM For Public Holiday Over Aaron-Wooi Yik’s Historic Win](https://weirdkaya.com/2-days-msians-pm-public-holiday-aaron-wooi-yik-win/)
- [[PHOTOS] “Smelly and filthy!” Malaysian laments over poor conditions in Zoo Negara](https://weirdkaya.com/photos-smelly-and-filthy-malaysian-laments-over-poor-conditions-in-zoo-negara/)

---

[![WeirdKaya is on Instagram!](https://weirdkaya.com/wp-content/uploads/ig-article-cta.png)](https://www.instagram.com/weirdkaya/)For more stories like this, follow WeirdKaya on Facebook and Instagram!

---