JOHOR BAHRU – Johor, whose economic growth is expected to exceed that of other Malaysian states in the next one to two years, is set to become the most economically developed in the country, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the robust growth comes in anticipation of two high-impact projects, namely the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and the Special Financial Zone (SFZ) in Forest City.
“These two initiatives will help speed up Johor’s economic growth,” he told reporters after attending the Madani Aidilfitri 2024 celebration, which kicked off at Angsana Mall in Johor Bahru on April 18.
Malaysia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the JS-SEZ on Jan 11, almost three months after the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat in October, where Prime Minister Anwar and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong agreed to jointly develop the economic zone.
Datuk Seri Anwar emphasised the need to ensure the people’s welfare is taken care of as Johor moves towards developing its economy.
“I had a meeting with the chief minister (Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi) earlier when I was told there are fewer than 2,000 people in the hardcore poor category in the state. I am sure we will be able to solve this in a short amount of time and put a full stop to the hardcore poor category,” he said.
He pointed out that focus should also be given to plugging flood problems faced by Johoreans.
“The JS-SEZ and SFZ in Forest City are good indicators that the state is seeing major economic development.
“However, we cannot see economic development while also having major floods. I hope those involved in government projects can make sure that everything runs swiftly to ease the people’s burden,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Anwar chaired a special development meeting with Datuk Onn Hafiz and several Cabinet ministers, including Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz and Defence Minister Khaled Nordin, former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam, as well as Johor MPs and state assemblymen.
“We discussed suggestions to make JS-SEZ a reality, including improving cross-border movement, strengthening the business ecosystem and efforts to attract new investments,” he said, adding that the meeting also touched on the setting up of the Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre.
Mr Anwar said that problems faced by Malaysians who travel to Singapore for work daily were also raised.
“We are looking into new approaches to ease cross-border travel between Johor and Singapore,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
