ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor has begun promoting itself as an investment gateway into the Asean market, with Doha being the first location, says Lee Ting Han.
The state investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman thanked Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim for facilitating the opportunity to attract investments from Qatar recently.
"Following the signing of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) by both Malaysia and Singapore governments on Jan 6, Doha was our first trip to promote JS-SEZ.
"We have since received many inquiries from foreign investors wanting to know more about it. This is also true for the Forest City Special Financial Zone (FCSFZ)," he added.
Lee, who is also the Paloh assemblyman, made these comments after accompanying Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi to a meeting with 30 local and foreign investors at Kota Iskandar on Thursday (Jan 16).
He noted that investors are keen to learn more about the three incentive packages announced for JS-SEZ, FCSFZ, and Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC).
Lee highlighted that with JS-SEZ, FCSFZ, and PIPC, Johor has become a gateway for foreign investors to access the Asean region, which is attractive due to its high population.
"Our target is to attract at least 100 high-performance foreign companies to invest in the state and create 20,000 high-income jobs within the next 10 years.
"After Doha, we will conduct more promotional programs in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor to reach out to investors," he said.
Lee added that the state government is looking to attract more investments from the Middle East, as well as South Korea, Japan, and China.
"As of the third quarter of last year, Johor received RM19bil in total investments. We are confident that the momentum for attracting more investments is positive and bright.
"We must work even harder to promote the state as an ideal investment location and collaborate closely with both federal and Singapore governments in promoting JS-SEZ," he said.
Earlier, during an event with state civil servants, Onn Hafiz announced that Qatar Airways has shown interest in landing at Senai International Airport.
"During our visit to Qatar, we met with several key players there. One of them was Qatar Airways, which showed interest in landing at Senai International Airport and setting up their maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre there.
"Qatar Airways is requesting more information from the state government, especially in terms of logistics, and we have sent all the necessary documents and data required by them on Monday (Jan 13)," he added.
He mentioned that the documents and data would allow Qatar Airways to conduct a more physical study before deciding to set up base at Senai International Airport.
Onn Hafiz said that this was a promising first step for the state government to spur growth in Johor’s logistics sector, especially at Senai International Airport.
