I have read your interesting editorial on public holidays and would ask that before we jump in and change/alter the number/type of public holidays we consider their history. Two weeks leave was arrived by the British in most of the colonies on the basis that you were due one day for every calender month that you worked, hence 12 days plus two Sundays equalled two weeks. However, no such arrangements were either in existence or were made for the hourly, daily and weekly paid workers. So, the British tried to ensure that there were 12 public holidays in each year.
In Guyana a then Colonial Secretary by the name of Clementi, finding that there were only 10 public holidays there, created two more which for years were known as Clementi days. They were subsequently changed to Divali and Eid, I believe. In the absence of this background we have gaily gone along creating more and more holidays, which originally were called bank holidays because banks were ordered shut, thus ensuring that the rest of the community followed suit. Yes, 14 public holidays may be considered too many but nowadays three weeks leave seems to be the norm as a minimum in the business community. So I suggest that while we leave the number as is, should we consider any others, we can change the names of, say, Boxing Day, which may be considered irrelevant to this nation.
Dallas Kidman
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