PETALING JAYA: The declaration of a public holiday for all Federal Territories following the victory of its Malaysia Cup team is not necessary, says Prof Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman.

       "It’s thrown our specialist professional exams, clinics and operating theatre schedules all helter-skelter," said the World Health Organisation (WHO) Science Council member in a post on her Twitter account.

       Dr Adeeba - who was a Universiti Malaya Professor of Infectious Diseases and a former dean of its Faculty of Medicine - added that the public holiday was not needed.

       "In my humble opinion, we really don't need this, especially at a time when we have so much catching-up to do as a result of Covid-19," she said.

       This comes after Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim declared a public holiday for all Federal Territories on Friday (Dec 3) following the KL City FC win at the Malaysia Cup on Wednesday (Dec 2).

       During the Malaysia Cup final in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the prestigious competition, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) lost 0-2 to KL City FC, and failed to defend the title they won in 2019.