KUALA NERUS, Sept 16 — A PAS delegate has urged the Umno-led Pahang state government to declare Friday as part of the weekend, just like in PAS-led Kelantan and Terengganu, in addition to Kedah and Johor.
Speaking in PAS’ 64th muktamar, or annual congress, Pahang delegate Zuridan Daud said the move would show that Umno is “sincere” in its attempt to collaborate with its Islamist former rivals.
“We request for the effort to make Friday as an off day, as a show of seriousness to cooperate with PAS,” he said while debating the president’s keynote speech last night.
The Pahang state assembly had in July this year debated the move to change the weekend from Saturday and Sunday to Friday and Saturday.
The motion in state assembly was tabled by Pahang PAS commissioner Rosli Abdul Jabar, who is also Tanjung Lumpur lawmaker, but was opposed among others by Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, and DAP’s Chow Yu Hui and Young Syefura Othman.
Some Muslims support having Fridays as a weekend since it is obligatory for Muslim men to perform the Friday prayers at noon. The public sector already grants a three-hour break for all of its staff for this purpose.
Zuridan had argued that a collaboration with Umno will increase PAS’ chances, from winning 15 state seats up from eight in the recent polls.
BN currently holds 25 out of the 42 state seats, followed by Pakatan Harapan with nine, and then PAS.
