JOHOR BARU: Enquiries at the one-stop centre set up to help facilitate investors into the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) has been on the increase, with at least 142 queries since the opening of the Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre Johor (IMFC-J) in Forest City last month.
Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) chief executive Datuk Noorazam Osman said that out of that, at least 24 investors were potential investors who could invest a combined total of RM11bil.
“These are potential investors who are serious about investing,” he said, adding that 80% of the enquiries that the IMFC-J received were mainly from Singapore, South Korea, and Europe.
Noorazam, who said that the enquiries involved various sectors, added that the JS-SEZ was not just for foreigners, but also local companies.
Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim launched the IMFC-J on Feb 18.
The JS-SEZ is supposed to target 50 to 100 high-growth projects over the next five to 10 years.
Noorazam added that IRDA played an important role to oversee the whole development agenda of Iskandar Malaysia and to help address shortcomings in the growth corridor.
“Iskandar Malaysia will continue to be therei. The JS-SEZ is a new narrative which has been added to Iskandar, which will include two more areas including Penggerang and Forest City,” he said during a buka puasa event with the media here on Monday (March 10).
He added that IRDA will continue to provide updates on the actual situation to boost investor confidence and also to locals as they wanted to strike a balance instead of focusing on investments alone.
“Locals need to know about what's in it for them in the future development.
“We want local industry or investors to also benefit and we do not want anyone to be left behind,” he said, adding that it was important for locals to be part of the business ecosystem.
He stressed that IRDA was still relevant, and with JS-SEZ, it was also becoming a strategic thinker and being the bridge between the state and federal governments.
“This is a huge challenge as we are not just the movers but also thinkers too,” he said, adding that they appreciated feedback from the public and the media.
Asked whether the uncertainties about the ongoing trade wars between the United States and many countries will hurt Iskandar or JS-SEZ, Noorazam downplayed the matter.
"That could perhaps explain why we are getting a lot more enquiries from investors from those countries, as they know Asean with a 700 million population is relatively peaceful.”
