Lee outlines focus on translating economic gains into real benefits and high-value jobs for Johoreans and SMEs.
JOHOR will ensure that any new regional economic collaboration does not undermine the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which remains the state’s priority platform for growth and high-value investments.
State investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Lee Ting Han said regional dynamics have changed significantly since older trilateral frameworks, such as the Singapore-Johor-Riau (Sijori) economic growth triangle, were conceptualised decades ago.
“Johor must be realistic about the current economic landscape.
“Any proposed cross-border initiatives must strengthen, not dilute, Johor’s competitive position.
“The state must also ensure that any form of regional cooperation does not reduce the competitiveness of the JS-SEZ or disrupt existing industrial integration that has proven beneficial,” he said at the Johor state assembly sitting in Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar.
Lee was responding to Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Benut), who urged the state government to carefully study any move to revisit trilateral cooperation involving Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
Hasni had said that Malaysia and Singapore have signed the JS-SEZ agreement earlier this year and discussions about expanding collaboration to include Indonesia had already surfaced at the federal level.
He said the Sijori growth triangle had once spurred development in Batam, but did not deliver the same level of progress in Johor until the JS-SEZ framework was introduced.
“Today, Johor has attracted more than RM91bil in investments, the highest in the country, and this success is clearly linked to the JS-SEZ that all of us are aware of,” he said.
Hasni asked whether revisiting a trilateral arrangement would benefit Johor, noting that major Indonesian conglomerates had historically preferred Singapore over Malaysia as an investment destination.
“Any proposed Malaysia–Singapore–Indonesia cooperation must be evaluated in a different context. We must consider whether it truly serves Johor’s interests,” he added.
To that, Lee said Johor must remain the primary beneficiary of its economic ventures rather than being treated merely as a transit or intermediary.
He also said the state was focused on ensuring that economic gains translated into real benefits for Johoreans, particularly small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs).
“JS-SEZ is not only about foreign direct investment.
“It is about enabling social mobility, expanding high-value job opportunities, nurturing local talent and creating new openings for Johor companies.
“To support this, the state is introducing initiatives such as sector-specific SME directories, a registry of local consultants, business matching, technical standards assessments and readiness workshops that are designed to ensure SMEs and foreign investors operate within a mutually supportive ecosystem,” he said.
Lee added that monthly SME participation reports are also presented to the Mentri Besar to ensure no capable local company is left behind.
Lee also said the state would soon host the Johor Economic Forum, a high-level platform bringing together global industry leaders, academics, policymakers and international investors.
“The forum will serve as a data-driven policy lab to cement Johor’s role as a centre for ideas, innovation and regional economic strategy,” he said.
