Week-long national holiday

Week-long national holiday

From Media Indonesia

This year Muslims will start celebrating their post-fasting holiday of Lebaran one day after the Christians celebrate Christmas. So in the week ending the year 2000 there will be three holidays, namely Christmas on Dec. 25 and Idul Fitri on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28.

Considering that the only working days in this week will be Dec. 26 and Dec. 29, (Saturday Dec. 30 will not be a working day for many companies), it would be eminently wise if the government were to consider declaring a week-long national holiday for the last week of this year. On these two days, Dec. 26 and Dec. 29, many employees will stay away from their offices so that time spent at work will be ineffectual and the arrangement of annual leave difficult.

If the last week of this year is declared a national holiday, both Christians and Muslims, the latter constituting the largest part of the population, will be able to celebrate Christmas and Lebaran at the same time. It must be borne in mind that a situation like this will not recur for another 35 years.

Hopefully the community will respond favorably to this suggestion and the government will grant the nation this week- long holiday.

GATOT SULANDOKO

Depok, West Java