PUTRAJAYA, Oct 31 — The Putrajaya Indian Civil Servants Association (Imaiyam) is appealing to the government to grant unrecorded leave (CTR) to Hindu civil servants on Tuesday, November 10, as this year’s Deepavali leave overlaps with a public holiday and its replacement holiday.

Imaiyam chairman Dr Sathiskumar K. Muthusamy said the request is not aimed at securing a new benefit, but at ensuring that the existing Deepavali CTR, long provided by the government, can be fully enjoyed by Hindu civil servants.

“Deepavali this year falls on a Sunday, and Monday has been declared a replacement holiday. As a result, the day usually used for CTR overlaps with the public holiday, and the benefit cannot be enjoyed,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

“Our request is simple: that the CTR be allowed on Tuesday, November 10. The government made the same decision in 2023 under similar circumstances. We are confident it will remain consistent with that approach,” he said.

Dr Sathiskumar said the Deepavali CTR is already governed by the Human Resource Service Circular (MyPPSM); therefore, the Public Service Department (JPA) only needs to issue a circular letter allowing the CTR to be carried over to the next working day, as was done in 2023.

He said the circular could also be extended to state public services, statutory bodies and local authorities to ensure coordinated implementation.

Imaiyam has received questions and feedback from members about the limited time available during the Deepavali break, particularly among civil servants working far from their hometowns, including in Sabah and Sarawak.

“With only one replacement holiday, the time to return to one’s hometown, celebrate with family and return to work is very limited,” he said, adding that the matter has been brought to JPA’s attention.

Imaiyam stressed that fairness must underpin the consideration of festive leave for all civil servants regardless of religion or race.

If existing festive leave for followers of other religions is similarly affected by overlaps with public or replacement holidays, the same approach should be considered.

Since 2018, the government has provided one day of CTR for Deepavali, on the following day, to Hindu civil servants as an addition to the public holiday, giving them more room to celebrate with their families. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: CTR stands for Cuti Tanpa Rekod, MyPPSM refers to Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Sumber Manusia, and JPA stands for Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam in Malay.