Govt continues to identify new strategies to ensure Malaysia remains a competitive investment destination - PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The government continues to identify new strategies to make Malaysia an attractive and competitive investment destination, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said among the initiatives that has attracted investors is the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which has received very positive feedback not only from Singapore but also from other countries.

"Furthermore, our plan with Thailand is to ensure that the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, namely Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu, alongside the four southern provinces of Thailand, are also being developed.

"We've had two meetings, and on February 18, I have another meeting to outline how this growth can be achieved," he said during the Ministers' Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Anwar was responding to a supplementary question from Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH-Bukit Bendera), who asked about the government's efforts and incentives in positioning Malaysia as an attractive and competitive investment destination.

Anwar said the incentive with Thailand is certainly different from JS-SEZ.

Apart from that, he said for Sarawak, the investment focus is on the energy hub for the ASEAN region.

"As I mentioned in Parliament last week, one of Malaysia's strategies is to integrate into the ASEAN framework by positioning Malaysia as one of the key hubs for the ASEAN Energy Grid, connecting Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, all the way to Indonesia and the Philippines.

"And from Sarawak, it will be connected to Sabah, Kalimantan, and the Philippines," he added.

He also said that Malaysia is taking steps to promote Forest City as a financial centre and to develop it as, for example, a single-family office scheme.

"New incentives for Forest City will be introduced next, in Kuala Lumpur, maybe leveraging the TRX financial hub," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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