Is shifting holidays a reasonable policy?<\/p>\n
Mochtar Buchori, Educator, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government's decision to shift this year's holiday for the
\nIslamic New Year -- 1 Muharram 1424 -- from Tuesday, March 4, to
\nMonday, March 3, has generated controversy.<\/p>\n
Three reasons were given by the government to justify this
\npolicy: one, to give the public -- especially office workers --
\nan opportunity to enjoy an extended weekend; two, to help the
\ntourist industry recover from its present slump; and three, to
\nimprove efficiency among private and government employees.<\/p>\n
Those who opposed this policy raised the following arguments:
\none, this policy would discourage the cultivation of a hard-
\nworking culture (journalist Rosihan Anwar); two, it would
\nreinforce civil servants' habit of not adhering to strict
\ndiscipline (lecturer at Driyarkara School of Philosophy Muji
\nSutrisno); three, it was a solely pragmatic act which overlooked
\nits educational and religious impacts (Muji Sutrisno); and four,
\nreligious holidays had special meanings and could not be shifted
\nat will (religious leaders).<\/p>\n
I have two criticisms to add. First, holidays always symbolize
\nsomething. Changing the date of a holiday may blur or distort the
\nmeaning of that particular holiday. Second, I doubt if extending
\nweekends would improve the discipline of civil servants and
\nreduce absenteeism among them.<\/p>\n
For instance, Aug. 17 symbolizes the birth of an independent
\ncountry for Indonesians. How would people react if on a
\nparticular Aug. 17, the nation's independence day was shifted to
\nAug. 18 or Aug. 16 just for the sake of having an extended
\nholiday?<\/p>\n
Franklin D. Roosevelt mentioned this principle in 1936. He
\nsaid that in the United States and Canada, Labor Day -- which
\nfalls on the first Monday in September -- symbolizes the
\ndetermination of laborers to achieve economic freedom. Labor Day
\nalso honors the working people. Would a Labor Day that was
\nshifted to a Tuesday in September still convey the same message
\nand spirit?<\/p>\n
Another example: April 1 is April Fool's Day. Any foolish or
\ndirty trick pulled on someone on April 1 is considered a harmless
\njoke. This is because April 1 symbolizes, in Western societies,
\ncollective foolishness. Mark Twain said in this regard, \"April 1
\nsymbolizes what we are on the other 364 days.\"<\/p>\n
How foolish are we really? It depends on your idea of what is
\na fool or what is foolish. If you believe the following lines,
\n\"Man is a fool \/ When it's hot, he wants it cool \/ When it's
\ncool, he wants it hot \/ He always wants what he has not\", then
\nyou would agree that to a certain extent we are all fools. Thomas
\nMuller, M.D. said in 1732 that \"Every man hath a fool in his
\nsleeves.\"<\/p>\n
This may be why, in any Western society, people will react to
\npractical jokes on April 1 in a forgiving manner. This kind of
\nspirit cannot be found on any other day in April, and any joke or
\ntrick pulled on any other day in April would be taken as a
\nserious affront, perhaps not easily forgiven.<\/p>\n
Thus, certain holidays can perhaps be shifted without causing
\nserious harm or concern, but certain holidays cannot be shifted
\nwithout creating anger or frustration. Religious holidays and
\nother holidays that are considered to be sacred or sacrosanct
\nfall in this category.<\/p>\n
In addition, it is highly doubtful as to whether extended
\nweekends improve the work ethos. The work ethos that a person or
\na society has at any one time is the product of education and
\npersonal or social development. Improvements in work ethos cannot
\nbe made through short-term, indirect measures like an extended
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
Genuine improvement of work ethos can be acquired only if
\nthere is a sustained effort to continuously evaluate and improve
\nupon one's performance. There is just no instant way of
\nameliorating the work ethos of a society.<\/p>\n
What is our main issue at present -- improving the work ethos
\nof our work force, especially that of our civil servants, or
\ngiving the public the luxury of having an extended weekend? What
\nI find annoying in this regard is that the government was using a
\nbig argument to justify a petty policy, i.e., soothing the
\nfrustration and disappointment of the public, especially our
\ncivil servants, caused by our present conditions. This is like
\npresenting a stick of gum on a silver platter.<\/p>\n
Improving the efficiency of government and private employees
\nand boosting the recovery of our tourism industry are objectives
\nthat are too big and too important to be achieved through the
\ncreation of extended weekends.<\/p>\n
Improving efficiency is, in essence, improving our way of
\ndoing things. Boosting the recovery of our tourism industry
\nduring this difficult time basically means -- according to
\nMinister of Culture and Tourism Gede Ardika -- giving a more
\ndefinite form to our national character and civilization, and
\nenhancing our national openness toward other cultures.<\/p>\n
If the government is sincere about pursuing these two lofty
\ngoals, then it should be looking for more promising ways than
\nshifting holidays.<\/p>\n
To borrow the words of Greek fabulist Aesop (c. 620 B.C. - c.
\n560 B.C.), the way the government is pursuing these two goals
\nfits the following sentence: \"Lofty words may disguise, but
\nlogically inconsequential actions will disclose the thinking of a
\nfool.\"<\/p>",
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