JOHOR BARU: Johor is enjoying consistent growth across its districts and is not only centred in Johor Baru as claimed by some quarters, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said the Statistics Department (DOSM) showed several semi-rural and rural districts in Johor had recorded a significant increase in median monthly household gross income, indicating that development and economic growth were spreading beyond the state capital.
“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Johor PKR chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa have tried to build a narrative that Johor’s development is too concentrated in Johor Baru and that the income gap between districts is too wide.
“However, official DOSM data on median monthly household gross income for 2024 shows a different picture,” he said in a video posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday (June 24).
Dr Wee pointed out that Johor Baru recorded the highest median monthly household gross income among districts in Johor at RM8,977, while Mersing recorded the lowest at RM5,335 - showing a difference of RM3,642.
Comparatively, Selangor’s highest median household income district was Ulu Langat at RM11,404 per month, while Sabak Bernam recorded the lowest at RM6,941, he said.
“This means Selangor’s gap between the highest and lowest districts is RM4,463, which is larger than Johor’s.
“If the measurement used is the difference in median household income between the highest and lowest districts, Selangor actually has a wider gap in ringgit compared with Johor,” he said.
Dr Wee added that Johor’s median household income growth between 2022 and 2024 was also faster, recording a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% compared with Selangor’s 3.6%.
He said Johor’s growth was more widespread, with several districts outside the main urban centre recording strong growth, including Muar, which recorded a 12.4% increase, followed by Segamat at 9.7%, Mersing at 9.1%, Batu Pahat at 8.7%, Kluang at 8.4% and Tangkak at 6.3%.
“This shows that growth in Johor was not solely concentrated in Johor Baru, with several rural and semi-urban districts recording growth above the state average.
“Selangor’s overall income level is indeed higher; that cannot be denied. However, when discussing the income gap between districts, DOSM data shows Selangor’s gap is larger than Johor’s,” he said.
“When it comes to growth rate, Johor is also growing faster and more consistently. Therefore, the claim that Johor has an imbalance issue is not supported by official government data,” he added.
During Pakatan Harapan’s Johor state election candidate announcement, Amirudin reportedly said development should not be concentrated only in Johor Baru but spread to other districts as well.
