By Hessa Kawthar
GOMBAK, 22 October 2022: The MUDA president, Syed Saddiq suggested a two day Deepavali public holiday following a message on Twitter from a university student who asked for an extension of the holiday.
“I want to suggest Keluarga Malaysia to extend the Deepavali Public Holiday, so that it would be equivalent to Eidulfitri and Chinese New Year Public Holiday,” Syed Saddiq posted on his Twitter account.
The student expressed his frustration in the message regarding the one-day public holiday given by the government, which is not enough for a family celebration.
He opined that it is inconvenient for some students who may not be able to return home, as they have classes the next day.
In light of this matter, some students shared their sentiments with IIUMToday regarding the holiday:
“I sincerely hope that the government will extend the festive period so that we can enjoy it with loved ones,” Dheesighan A/L Nagalingam, a medical student at the University of Cyberjaya, shared.
Simmratjit Singh A/L Lakhmier Singh, an aviation student from Management and Science University, also expressed dissatisfaction with the one-day public holiday as it is not fair compared to Chinese New Year and Eidulfitri.
“It is kind of unfair and upsetting for the Indian students to not be able to celebrate Deepavali with their family and friends,” added Simmratjit.
Meanwhile, Loganraj Ramachandran, an accounting student from Sunway college, expressed his disappointment in seeing most of his friends from IPTA only getting one day holiday, although he enjoyed a whole week off as an IPTS student.
Other international students including Mohua Taz, a Bangladeshi student at International Islamic University Malaysia, and Simranjit Kaur Jassal, a Punjabi Malaysian who studies law at University of London also shared the same view.
They collectively reckoned that the Deepavali celebration should enjoy at least 2-4 days holiday as it is a prestigious celebration.
Simranjit also remarked that Deepavali holiday is “an occasion for them to gather with their family members, hence they require a longer holiday to fully appreciate the festival.”
Syed Saddiq also extended his sympathy to the students on his tweet, as it would be a hassle for them to return to the university promptly, which is only one day after the Deepavali holiday ends.***