Responding to a call made by the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), Sanusi told FMT that Kedah’s “quota” for annual public holidays had reached its limit.

However, he declined to disclose the number of public holidays in Kedah’s quota and who determined them, simply insisting that “it is already the maximum”.

“Why are we always thinking about wanting more holidays? Businesses  will be unhappy with so many holidays. Go and work.

“Many other states do not have public holidays for Thaipusam,” he said.

Yesterday, MIPP deputy president S Subramaniam urged Kedah to fix Thaipusam as an annual public holiday, after Sanusi announced that Jan 25 would be an occasional holiday for the Hindu festival.

Subramaniam said making it an annual holiday would eliminate the periodic discussion whenever Thaipusam approaches, while displaying Kedah’s “commitment to managing non-Islamic affairs efficiently”.

Thaipusam is an annual public holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Penang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Johor.