Fact-check: Public holiday on Jan 31?

Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar will be sworn in as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong next week on Jan 31.

With that date fast approaching, the question on the minds of many Malaysians is: Will there be a public holiday?

Based on historical precedent, this seems unlikely, but there may be another holiday further down the road.

Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar

For example, there was no public holiday when the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was sworn in on Jan 31, 2019. The government instead issued a denial to fend off viral messages claiming such a holiday will take place.

A public holiday was instead gazetted for July 30, 2019, in conjunction with Sultan Abdullah’s coronation ceremony. A holiday for that date was only announced a month prior on June 28.

Likewise, his predecessor Sultan Muhammad V was sworn in on Dec 13, 2016, but a public holiday was only observed later on April 24, 2017, in conjunction with his coronation ceremony.

Malaysiakini has also contacted the Prime Minister’s Department for confirmation but has yet to receive a reply as of the time of writing.

Meanwhile, Sultan Ibrahim’s coronation date has yet to be announced. - Mkini