The move had received the ‘consent and blessing’ of Malaysia’s king Sultan Ibrahim, his son Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim said.

Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, had given his blessing to the decision to return to a Saturday-Sunday weekend, said Tunku Ismail, who added that the King also considered what the Johor Islamic Religious Council said on the matter.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has criticised Johor’s decision to revert to Saturday and Sunday as its official weekend days. In a statement on Facebook, the vocal politician from PKR advocated for the state to maintain Friday and Saturday as its days of rest,

The announcement for Johor to revert its weekend to Saturday and Sunday from the current Friday and Saturday starting January 1 next year has been positively welcomed by the business community here. Among them is Olive Tree Property Consultants chief executive officer Samuel Tan who lauded the long-awaited announcement.