COMMENT | Expanding Johor-Singapore special economic zone

COMMENT | The announcement of a Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at the Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) on July 14 was greeted with excitement on both sides of the border.

This committee, co-chaired by Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli on the Malaysian side, and National Development Minister Desmond Lee on the Singapore side, proposed several areas of cooperation including industrial development, tourism activities, innovation facilitation, and improved connectivity.

The importance of this SEZ was re-emphasised at the leaders’ retreat in Singapore on Oct 30 with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) planned for January 2024 between both countries.

This is a list of 10 proposals, including what I hope are interesting details, to be considered by the Malaysian government as part of the MOU to be signed in 2024.

1) Improving physical connectivity

Investment, Trade, and Industry Deputy Minister and Iskandar Puteri MP Liew Chin Tong has written extensively about his vision for Greater Johor Bahru to be a second metropolitan driver of economic growth in Malaysia where linkages to Singapore will be an important catalyst.

The proposed ferry connections between...