Onn Hafiz announcing the various initiatives for Johoreans during the state assembly sitting.
JOHOR will ensure its people benefit from the rapid growth spurred by the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said 42 additional initiatives worth over RM200mil would be rolled out to ensure Johoreans benefit from the JS-SEZ spillover.
“We cannot deny that the drastic increase in the state’s revenue is due to contributions from the JS-SEZ.
“As I have stressed before, the state government will ensure the spillover will be channelled to the people in every corner of Johor,” he said during the recent Johor state assembly sitting at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar.
Onn Hafiz said the initiatives, which included 25 programmes aimed at reducing the cost of living, were expected to benefit some 1.9 million people.
“First, the Infaq Jumaat programme, an initiative inspired by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, aims to provide food assistance to those in need every Friday.
“The programme will be carried out by mosque committees across the state.
“This initiative is not limited to Muslims. Non-Muslims are also welcome to benefit from it.
“As a start, the state government will allocate some RM1.72mil to 132 mosques statewide. The programme will be expanded further next year,” he said.
Other initiatives announced include one-off cash handouts to targeted groups such as university students, e-hailing and p-hailing riders, taxi drivers, retired police and army personnel, farmers, fishermen, livestock farmers, senior citizens under the Social Welfare Department and orphans.
“Some RM4.95mil has also been allocated for the Deepavali food basket initiative, which is expected to benefit 48,300 Indian families statewide, and RM2mil for the Chinese community to carry out their initiatives,” he said.
Onn Hafiz said 17 other initiatives involved infrastructure upgrades and programmes to boost the economic empowerment and social well-being of Johoreans.
This included RM12.6mil to resolve 158 issues highlighted by assemblymen.
“We will also allocate RM1.26mil to instal landmarks promoting the Visit Johor 2026 campaign at 21 locations, and RM1.19mil for special small-scale projects for six local councils,” he said.
Onn Hafiz also announced allocations for upgrades to medical facilities, bus stops, signboards and gantries, as well as to carry out events such as the Johor Business Summit and Jelajah Mahasiswa Johor.
“Overall, these initiatives involve 1.9 million beneficiaries with an allocation value of over RM209mil,” he said.
Onn Hafiz said Johor has been recording a steady rise in revenue of between RM200mil and RM300mil annually over the past few years.
“This year, we are on track to record projected state revenue of RM2.5bil, which is the highest in Johor’s history,” he said.
