Onn Hafiz (seventh from left) together with Yeo (on his right) at the first ever Johor-Korea Business Forum in Johor Baru.
Johor government is committed to making the state investor- friendly and is willing to tackle all issues raised by those keen on investing here, says the Mentri Besar.
Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said they included issues such as potholes, Internet connectivity and floods.
“We are now working towards addressing the potholes issue by next year.
“We want everyone to know that Johor is open for business,” he said during his speech at the Johor-Korea Business Forum in Johor Baru.He added the Malaysia’s Look East Policy 40 years ago had paid off, especially with countries like South Korea, Japan and China becoming economic powerhouses with global clout.
More than 120 people including businessmen from South Korea and Malaysia attended the forum, including South Korean ambassador to Malaysia Yeo Seung-bae.
A businessman attending the Johor-Korea Business Forum takes a wefie with Onn Hafiz.
On connectivity, Onn Hafiz said the government’s move to improve conditions at the land checkpoints with Singapore had resulted in faster clearance.
He said the wait now for clearance at the checkpoints had been reduced from an hour to about 30 minutes, especially during peak hours.
“While this is good, we will continue to work with our partners in Putrajaya to improve the situation,” he said.
Onn Hafiz, who has made almost 20 spot checks at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex since last year, said improving connectivity with Singapore was paramount.
“This will be a continuous effort,” he said, adding that the two land crossings were among the busiest in the world, with workers commuting between both countries as early as 4am.
Meanwhile, state investment, trade and consumer affairs committee chairman Lee Ting Han said South Korea had invested some RM4.5bil in about 80 projects in Johor over the last 10 years, making it the fourth top investor here after China, Singapore and Japan.
“Our focus from South Korea are investments in the chemical and petrochemical industries,” he said, adding that a digital company from South Korea had also expressed interest to set up a data centre here.
