MELAKA – The Melaka government has allowed Hindu civil servants in the state to take unrecorded leave on Thursday for Thaipusam.
The chief minister’s community affairs secretary, Datuk M.S. Mahadevan, said the holiday was approved at a recent state exco meeting.
“About 100 civil servants of the Hindu faith, including those serving in local authorities, will be given unrecorded leave to allow them to perform religious ceremonies, especially prayers, on that day,” he told Bernama today.
Melaka is among the states that do not observe a public holiday for Thaipusam. The others are Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Perlis, Kedah, Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
Mahadevan, who is also state MIC chairman, said there will be no chariot procession in Melaka on the occasion of Thaipusam this year, but Hindus will be allowed to pray in small groups at temples, with health and safety standard operating procedures in place.
“However, devotees are encouraged to perform prayers at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19, as the pandemic has reached a critical stage.”
In previous years, Thaipusam was marked with a chariot procession and the carrying of kavadi at the Sri Subramaniar Devasthanam Temple in Batu Berendam here. – Bernama, January 25, 2021
