Prime Minister declares Sept 4 as public holiday

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last night declared Sept 4 as a public holiday in appreciation of the outstanding achievement of the Malaysian contingent in 29th Kuala Lumpur SEA Games which ended Wednesday.

"It is not easy to declare a holiday because Malaysia has too many public holidays but since we have achieved an outstanding result in the SEA Games through the unwavering support of the various races and the excellent performance of our athletes, on behalf of the government I declare Sept 4 as a public holiday," said the Prime Minister in his Merdeka Day speech at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, after the SEA Games closing ceremony, here last night.

The announcement was welcomed by a loud applause from the crowd that filled the 100,000 capacity National Stadium to the brim.

Najib said the Barisan Nasional led government decided to award a public holiday in recognition of the sacrifices made by the athletes to achieve the most memorable result in the history of the SEA Games.

Malaysia emerged as the overall champion after winning 145 gold, 92 silver and 86 bronze medals.

-- BERNAMA