Overworked, underpaid Malaysians want time-off to chill with PMX-given Sept 15 public holiday

Focus Malaysia

3 days ago

OVERWORKED, underpaid and unappreciated. That seems to be the overriding sentiment from many ordinary, working Malaysians.
Henceforth, the very least they deserve is to enjoy a long weekend courtesy of a public holiday announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Sept 15 (Monday) was declared a public holiday to allow everyone to enjoy an extended Malaysia Day break (which falls the following day) as part of the goodies doled out in PMX's much awaited 'extraordinary tribute for Malaysians' package.
This was the certainly the tone for the majority of responses to a post by fin-influencer Emir | The Millennial Finance (@the millenialf_) on X. It was posited that PMX's announcement of yet another rest day was unwelcome as the country already had too many public holidays.
Honestly Malaysia needs to chill with these random public holidays
We already have so many https://t.co/3qyc770pDJ
— Emir | The Millennial Finance (@themillennialf_) July 23, 2025
The post has gone viral by having generated 3.1M views with many vehemently disagreeing with the poster's viewpoint.
Many Malaysians have greeted the news of an extra rest day positively for it would allow them to take the foot off the pedal. One commenter claimed that many citizens needed the public holiday just to stay sane.
Another chided the poster for trying to emulate billionaire Tesla and X owner Elon Musk with his 'work harder' pronouncements by wondering if he also supported '996' and 5.5 working days in a week.
The '996' is a reference to the extreme work culture in China that Musk had previously praised.
A sarcastic remark perhaps encapsulated what many Malaysians thought of the post, claiming how he can make shareholders more money was the primary motivation he got out of bed daily.
The post was also picked up by self-confessed hiking enthusiast and part-time salesman, Abah (@chairmanGLC) who shared a report from The Smart Local.
Kuala Lumpur was said to be the fourth most overworked city in the world, taking top spot for longest working hours as well as time spent commuting. Its working force also had the least access to mental health care, the report claimed.
Abah further contended that he was sick of the 'Malaysians enjoy too many public holidays' complaint, citing the leave entitlement workers in other countries enjoyed (ie European workers enjoy 35 paid time-off annually compared to Malaysians' 22 days).
Honestly I'm sick of reading the notion of 'Malaysia banyak sangat public holidays'. Tengok comparison between Malaysia and European countries. A Malaysian entry level worker will only have 22 days of PTO compared to 35 days for Europeans. And look at the last column. https://t.co/fIeg6Ff5ri pic.twitter.com/n0ZubRat1w
— Abah (@chairmanGLC) July 23, 2025
One commenter who put on an ultra-competitive 'Tiger Mom' persona sarcastically asked 'why didn't (Malaysia) get first place'?
It was argued that cheap labour was why many companies have factories in Malaysia. However, this is at the expense of an overworked citizenry.
The economic reality that drove many employees to work long hours 'with two to three jobs' was also highlighted.
One commenter compared the scenario to India where hybrid-working policies have been implemented to combat worsening traffic and pollution problems, hinting perhaps that this would be a welcome move in Malaysia.
However, there were some who concurred with the original poster, contending that such random public holidays were counter-productive. One even argued that the typical working day became long due to the numerous breaks Malaysian employees would take.
Another claimed what works elsewhere does not necessarily work in Malaysia.
But it could be surmised that the majority of comments welcomed the announcement of the Sept 15 public holiday while highlighting that Malaysian workers are an overworked lot.
At the end of the day, one commenter had some simple advice for the poster – 'if you want to work, please be my guest'. – July 25, 2025