Sarawak is to follow the decision of the federal government in declaring Friday July 8 a special holiday in the event Aidilfitri falls on July 6, Chief Minister Adenan Satem said today.

If Aidilfitri falls on July 6, then July 6 and 7 will be the usual public holidays.

July 8 will be an additional holiday, thus giving civil servants a stretch of five days off work including the July 9 and 10 weekend.

Chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa had said that the federal government agreed to grant the special holiday on July 8 provided Aidilfitri falls on July 6.

The special holiday would not apply if Aidilfitri falls on July 5, he had said.

Meanwhile, Sarawak state secretary Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani said today the state government had decided to pay the special Aidilfitri financial aid of RM500 to all state civil servants as the federal government had done.

“Some had been paid while others will get theirs soon and before the Aidilfitri,” he said.

The special payment would benefit 28,000 civil servants, he said at a media conference after attending a dry run of certain aspects of the 18th Malaysia Games (Sukma) which the state is hosting from July 22 to 31.

- Bernama