Putrajaya, Johor govt to discuss special economic zone next week

The Johor-Singapore special economic zone is expected to stimulate infrastructure development in the region. (AP pic)

PUTRAJAYA: The federal and Johor governments will meet on Feb 28 to discuss the proposed Johor-Singapore special economic zone (SEZ), government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said.

He said the meeting next week would look into matters involving the transport, home, economy and finance ministries.

He said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had emphasised the need for comprehensive coordination in establishing the SEZ.

“We hope we can resolve these issues and expedite the zone’s establishment,” he told reporters here after attending the Cabinet meeting.

In January, Malaysia and Singapore signed an MoU to develop the SEZ.

FMT reported on Jan 5 that the Johor government had submitted an official proposal to the economy ministry for the Iskandar Malaysia region to be designated as the Johor-Singapore SEZ.

The SEZ was initially mooted by economy minister Rafizi Ramli after a meeting with the Johor government in May last year.

Both countries then agreed to take the next step, setting up a special task force two months later to study the SEZ’s establishment.

Expected to improve the business ecosystems of both the Iskandar Malaysia region and Singapore, the SEZ will target sectors such as electronics, financial services, business‑related services and healthcare.

Last year, Johor secured RM70.6 billion worth of foreign investments in various sectors.

Singapore is the state’s second-largest foreign investor, contributing around 70% of its total foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector.

Meanwhile, Fahmi said the meeting would also discuss matters of location, boundaries and immigration, among others.