KULAI: The Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu) is prepared to be part of the much anticipated Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), says its president, Mohd Fahmi Salam.
He said the district, which is under the Iskandar Puteri and the Greater Johor Baru areas, has growth potential and is expected to see more industries in years to come.
"Kulai is among places that may be included in the JS-SEZ as it is under the Iskandar Malaysia areas.
"We are happy to be part of the economic zone, and we welcome any move to be included as this will help boost our local economy.
"At the same time, we will also ensure that locals would benefit from such efforts," he said.
He said this after officiating the MPKu 20th anniversary logo launch on Thursday (Feb 29).
The exact location of the JS-SEZ has yet to be determined, but it is set to be within the Iskandar Malaysia area.
Iskandar Malaysia covers an area of about 2,300sq km. There are five local authorities under Iskandar Malaysia: the Johor Baru City Council, Iskandar Puteri City Council, Pasir Gudang City Council, Kulai Municipal Council and Pontian Municipal Council.
Malaysia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the JS-SEZ on Jan 11, just two months after the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat in October when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong agreed to develop the economic zone jointly.
Last Saturday (Feb 24), Johor investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resource committee chairman Lee Ting Han told The Star that Malaysia and Singapore will meet in March to discuss the JS-SEZ further.
The full-fledged agreement of the JS-SEZ is expected to be finalised by the fourth quarter of this year.
