Govt Grants Hindu Civil Servants An Extra One Day Leave For Deepavali

In respect of the Deepavali season, the government has seen fit to grant Hindu civil servants in Sarawak one extra day off, to allow them to celebrate Deepavali with their loved ones.

The Director-General of Public Services Department (PSD), Datuk Sri Dr Zulkafli Mohamad issued a statement that announced that the government has decided to improve the decision of a 1978 circular memorandum.

In the memorandum, Hindu civil servants  are allowed to apply for unrecorded leave the following day when Deepavali is celebrated on a Sunday.

“Aligned with that (the circular), the government has agreed to grant unrecorded Deepavali Celebration leave to Sarawak civil servants who adhere to the Hindu religion as follows:

“If Deepavali Day falls on a working day, civil servants can apply for unrecorded leave on that day; or if Deepavali falls on a Sunday, the officer can apply for unrecorded leave the next working day.

“In relation to that, since Deepavali Day 2023 falls on Sunday (Nov 12), officials can apply for unrecorded leave on Monday (Nov 13) to celebrate Deepavali,” he said.

Earlier, it has been reported that the Sarawak state government has agreed to provide unrecorded leave on Monday (Nov 13) to all Hindu civil servants celebrating Deepavali.

However, the approval of the application of unrecorded leave however falls on the head of departments.