Malaysia’s Time-Zone Debate Reignites After Minister’s Post

Overview

• Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s Nov 9 X post about an early run in Kota Kinabalu prompted fresh calls to put Peninsular Malaysia back on GMT+7.
• Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore observe UTC+8 despite longitudes similar to Bangkok and Jakarta, pushing peninsula sunrises to around 7am.
• Sabah and Sarawak see sunrise between roughly 6am and 6:30am under the same clock, limiting morning daylight mainly for peninsula residents before work and school.
• Health ministry and medical experts say shifting the clock is unlikely to improve outcomes because sleep timing, work hours and late meals have larger health effects.
• The government reiterated in Parliament in March 2024 that it would not undo the 1981–82 alignment with Sabah and Sarawak and Singapore, and no formal change is under consideration.