JOHOR BARU: Pakatan Harapan wants Johor to become an economic powerhouse in its own right instead of remaining a 'feeder' to neighbouring Singapore, says PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
The Selangor Mentri Besar, who is also Pakatan election director, said Johor should generate enough high-value jobs for its people so they would no longer have to cross the Causeway in large numbers to earn a living.
"Johor should not merely become a feeder or a supporting state to our neighbour. We want Johor to stand proudly on its own and create quality jobs with high incomes for Johoreans," he said in his speech during the launch of Pakatan's manifesto held at a hotel here on Friday (July 3).
He said major initiatives such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link and the revitalisation of Forest City had laid a strong foundation for the state's growth.
Amirudin said these initiatives were made possible with the backing of the Federal Government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"However, Johor also needed its own long-term development strategy to complement federal initiatives. A Pakatan state government will formulate a comprehensive development blueprint covering all parts of Johor to ensure economic growth is shared more evenly across the state," he said.
Amirudin said the Pakatan vision extended beyond economic growth to ensuring balanced development, stronger social welfare and racial harmony.
He said the coalition wanted to build a progressive Johor that competed with leading cities in the region while ensuring opportunities and prosperity were shared by all communities.
