In this piece, we make the case for reinstating Thaipusam as a public holiday in Singapore. In order to understand why we say the time is ripe to make Thaipusam a public holiday again, we need to understand why it was removed in the first place.
Up until 1968, Thaipusam was a public holiday in Singapore. As evidenced above, even in 1927, Thaipusam was celebrated grandly. Historical records indicate that Thaipusam was celebrated in Singapore since the later part of the nineteenth century.
Why was Thaipusam removed as a Public Holiday?
This image from remebersingapore reminds us of the number of public holidays Singapore had prior to the introduction of the Holidays (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on 11 July 1968. For context, this bill was raised in Parliament during a time when the British had just withdrawn from Singapore and our leaders were worried, to put it simply, that too many public holidays would lead to decreased productivity.
After the bill was passed in Parliament, we had a trimmed list of public holidays which looked like this.
As you can see, the 2 holidays that did not make the cut were Thaipusam and Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday.
The Parliamentary Debates
In the course of researching for this piece, we found some gems in the Parliamentary Debates surrounding the removal of Thaipusam as a public holiday. It was evident that the Government’s proposal was not universally attractive.
Mr P Govindaswamy, the then Member of Parliament for Anson SMC urged the Government to reconsider its position. In his speech, he highlights how the processions were not only a celebration for devotees, but something that people from all races and walks of life enjoyed. In particular, he spoke about how tourists have been and will continue to be attracted by all the sights and sounds of the procession.
Thaipusam has been celebrated in Singapore since the later part of the nineteenth century and it has become an important religious celebration not only for the Hindus but also for the whole population. The kavadi procession is an attraction to everyone in Singapore, young and old. Moreover, it is a tourist attraction, as we all must have seen tourists following the procession and busily taking pictures. It will be a great disappointment both to the local people and to the tourists if the number of kavadi processions is reduced because Thaipusam is not a public holiday and, therefore, workers will not be able to take part in the processions. I therefore propose that Government, in order to encourage the tourist trade, should reconsider the deletion of this very popular public holiday.
Sir, whenever the Government reconsiders the question of public holidays, I hope Deepavali Holiday will not be abolished.
The Government’s response, elucidated by the learned Minister for Law EW Barker, contained a promise.
Mr Speaker, Sir, suffice it to say that like other Members of the House, I myself would prefer more and more holidays. But as I pointed out earlier in my opening speech, in view of the British withdrawal – I hope perhaps with no severe unemployment or economic problems following in its wake – this is one of the measures we are taking to ask our people to work harder – which means you, me and everybody else.
I ask Members to bear with me. If our island prospers, I am sure the Government will ask me to come back here and on that day it will be my pleasure to move amendments to increase the number of holidays. But let us first show that we can work hard and that we deserve more holidays.
In essence, it was the Government’s position that when the nation “prospers“, the time would be ripe to reconsider the possibility of reinstating and/or adding more public holidays.
In his response, Mr E. W. Barker also said that “Like the Member himself, I myself would prefer Thaipusam to be a holiday!”
The time is now ripe to reinstate Thaipusam as a Public Holiday
In 1968, we abolished Thaipusam as a public holiday for economic growth, with a promise that we will revisit this decision once we have achieved economic progress. Today, more than 5 decades later, the time that the EW Barker spoke about has arrived.
In 2015, almost 21,000 people signed a petition in favour of reinstating Thaipusam as a public holiday.
It would be fair to say that, if the Government takes the first step to moot the possibility of reinstating Thaipusam as a public holiday, the proposal would receive widespread support. After all, who will complain about an extra holiday?
Currently, many teachers already face a predicament when Thaipusam comes along, as many of their students may need to take off to participate in the procession. As this former teacher notes, some even had to take MCs as their schools, as a matter of policy, did not excuse students for Thaipusam.
If Thaipusam is a public holiday, this will no longer be an issue for students.
This move will also help to strengthen multiculturalism and multiracial relations in Singapore. As Mr Liew Kai Khiun, in a letter to the Straits Times which was published in February 2015, notes:-
My mother-in-law recently recalled her childhood years and her fond memories of accompanying the kavadi processions during Thaipusam from Petain Road to Tank Road.
Although she is not a Hindu, she enjoyed the sounds and colours of the festivities at a time when Thaipusam was an official public holiday. This was, and should be, the multiculturalism that makes Singapore exceptional. I was shocked to read that this, along with other events, like Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, were removed as public holidays as part of the Government’s plans to improve productivity
Thaipusam may be a religious festival, but it can be enjoyed by all Singaporeans. The spectacular sights and sounds of the procession will bring joy to many.
This Thaipusam, we humbly urge our lawmakers to table a motion in Parliament to reinstate Thaipusam as a public holiday. If you have a minute or two, please write to your MPs about this or forward this article to a friend.
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