JOHOR BARU: The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) will bring a positive transformation to the state, says Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
“Not only will the zone bring more economic opportunities, it will also leave a positive impact on Johor’s development.
“I believe the zone will open more doors for businesses and improve economic ties between Malaysia and Singapore.
“It will create more high-paying job opportunities, increase investments and strengthen major sectors in the state,” he said in a Facebook post following the exchange of the joint agreement between Malaysia and Singapore to develop the JS-SEZ yesterday.
Onn Hafiz said the agreement was a culmination of in-depth discussions and preparations made by both countries to ensure the initiative reaches the intended goals.
He hopes that all the plans will be implemented well to benefit the people in Johor and the rest of the country.
State investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Lee Ting Han views the JS-SEZ agreement as a new chapter in the region’s economic development.
“This is in line with the international trend, integrating economy, sustainable development and high technology.
“Johor’s strategy for the JS-SEZ is to leverage on our position as the gateway to Asean, an economic bloc with a population of more than 680 million and GDP of US$3.9 trillion in 2023,” he said.
Lee said the state government had drawn up a plan for the zone to achieve the targeted sustainable and comprehensive development goals.
“We are expecting to see gradual economic growth in the JS-SEZ in the next five to 10 years, depending on the implementation phases and our attractiveness to international investors.
“In the starting phase, our focus will be on infrastructure development such as the Johor-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link and other supporting facilities.
“We are also looking at attracting investors in petro-chemical, chemicals, data centres and medical equipment, which Johor already has the existing ecosystem for,” said Lee, who accompanied Onn Hafiz for an official visit to Qatar to secure investments.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong witnessed the exchange of the joint agreement, which took place during the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat in Putrajaya.
The highly-anticipated exchange comes close to a year after a memorandum of understanding was signed by the two countries on Jan 11, 2024 in a historic move to jointly develop the JS-SEZ.
