PM to chair special meeting on JSSEZ next week - Fahmi

Speaking in a post-Cabinet Meeting media conference here today, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the meeting will discuss policy matters on the setting up of the zone.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, state executive councillors and repesentatives of the Transport Ministry (MOT), Ministry of Investment,Trade and Industry (MITI) , Home Ministry, Ministry of Economy, Finance Ministry (MOF) as well as the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) are expected to attend the meeting.

According to Fahmi, the meeting is also aimed at streamlining several matters between the federal government and the Johor state government to expedite the process of establishing JSSEZ.

"The Prime Minister stressed that there is a need for an overall coordination thus a special meeting between the federal and state governments will be held on Feb 28 to study matters involving the level of the federal and state governments.

"This is one of the efforts to fast-track discussions on JSSEZ which hope to expedite several matters on its setting up," he said.

On Jan 11, the media reported that Malaysia and Singapore had signed a memorandum of understanding to make JSSEZ a success in strengthening economic ties between Johor and Singapore, witnessed by Anwar and his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong.

JSSEZ which targets the electronics, financial services, business-related services and healthcare sectors is expected to further increase trade between Johor and Singapore, improve the business ecosystem of Iskandar Malaysia and Singapore which can thrive like the city of Shenzhen in China.

According to Fahmi, among the matters that will be discussed in the special meeting include border issues as well as matters under the purview of the MoF.

"When the PM (Anwar) and the Menteri Besar of Johor (Onn Hafiz) meet, then the signal to Putrajaya is that we need to speed up the process including a number of policy details to be decided by the Cabinet," said Fahmi who is also the spokesperson for the Madani Government.

Asked if the issue of the location of JSSEZ caused the delay in the establishment of the zone, Fahmi insisted that the issue was not the main factor but rather the establishment of JSSEZ involved several policy matters that needed to be decided jointly between the federal and state governments.

"That is the reason why the highest level meeting will be held as soon as possible, within a week or so from now. So some basic matters will be decided there, and it will be brought to the Cabinet again," he said.

Last year, Johor received foreign investment worth RM70.6 billion in various sectors. Singapore is the second largest foreign investor in the state, accounting for about 70 per cent of Johor's total foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector.

-- BERNAMA