16 September is a national public holiday. Not only government departments, schools and banks will be closed on this day, but the private sector is also entitled to a holiday on 16 September.
Under Section 60D of the Labour Act 1955, all wage earners are entitled to 11 paid public holidays per year, of which 5 are statutory public holidays, namely National Day, the birthday of the Head of State, the birthday of the Sultan or State Head of State or Federal Territory Day, Labour Day and Malaysia Day.
As Malaysia Day on 16 September is a statutory public holiday, employers who require employees to work on this day must pay them their due remuneration.
16 September was not a public holiday until 2009, when former Prime Minister Najib declared 16 September as Malaysia Day, and has been a public holiday since 2010.
It is worth noting that this year, as 916 falls on a Friday and with the weekend off, there will be a 3-day long weekend break. There may be traffic queues on all major roads in the country, so those who wish to travel will need to plan their journeys accordingly.
