Call to move Kingdom's official weekend to Friday and Saturday gaining pace

By ARAB NEWS

Published: Mar 30, 2011 01:29 Updated: Mar 30, 2011 01:29

JEDDAH: There are calls to move the Saudi weekend to Friday and Saturday to increase business between the Kingdom and the rest of the world, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

This proposal has been presented and debated in the Shoura Council before, but no action was taken.

The issue was debated again after the return of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah from his medical trip, and the following Saturday was made a holiday.

Many people agreed that there are more economic benefits to making Friday and Saturday the weekend, claiming it would not contravene religion and tradition.

Khaled Al-Harthi, a financial adviser, believes that it is important in the era of globalization to be linked with the rest of the world as much as possible.

"Most countries in the region have Friday and Saturday as a holiday and it is important to follow suit," he said.

"This will increase commercial trade and reflect positively on the private sector. Making Friday and Saturday the weekend holiday does not go against our religion. Thursday can be made a full working day so we can stay connected with the rest of the world."

Hisham Al-Haddad, an official at a local bank, agrees it would be better to change the weekend as it would have a positive effect on the stock market, financial and banking sector.

"A full day of work on Thursday will keep us connected with the international stock market, which is positive especially for the private sector. Most import and export companies give only one day off in the week because Thursday is a working day for the rest of the world."

There are also calls for the government sector to move the weekend because much private sector paperwork is not completed on Thursday and businesses have to wait until Saturday when government departments reopen.

Adnan Fakieh, a Saudi businessman, thinks a permanent weekend change needs to happen immediately. He said currently Saudi Arabia is disconnected from the rest of the world for four days.

"We have Thursday and Friday as our weekend and the world has Saturday and Sunday off. This is harming our international trade. By changing the weekend, we will reduce the number of dead days to three. I do not know why a decision has not been made yet to change it, although the Shoura Council has recommended it."

Abdul Hafiz Al-Gundi, a private company employee, agreed changing the weekend would benefit the country, adding that it should apply to all sectors including education and not limited to the private sector only.

"If a weekend change happened, it will not benefit the private sector employee if he is enjoying a Saturday off while his kids are in school," he added.