Iskandar Malaysia to be fully developed in two years

29 July 2010 , By The Star

The next two years will be a robust time for Iskandar Malaysia as many of its projects will be completed, said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

Abdul Ghani said projects, such as Legoland, an indoor theme park at Puteri Harbour, Newcastle University Medical Malaysia (NuMED) and Marlborough College in EduCity, and many others would be completed and operational by 2012.

“Several groundbreaking ceremonies have been scheduled this year, including the Johor Premium Outlet at Kulaijaya, the Senai Hi-Tech Park and CyberCity also in Kulaijaya,” he said in his speech during the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FFM) Johor branch dinner at The Zon Regency Hotel here.

Abdul Ghani also said the job market was becoming livelier while roads and other infrastructure were upgraded with new ones built in the Iskandar Malaysia economic region.

He said the focus was to ensure Iskandar Malaysia had all the elements to create a conducive environment that would spur its development into a vibrant and exciting regional commercial hub of the future.

“The next step, beyond the first three years of courting investors, is to see how much investment we can bring to Johor.

“For that, I hope all stakeholders will assist by working harder to bring in new investments,” he said.

Abdul Ghani said companies that embrace innovation and have the foresight to reshape and revitalise their activities would have many opportunities and bright prospects to be a global player.

“Malaysian companies, investors and entrepreneurs are urged to seize the opportunities before us and grow to become regional and global entities,” he said.

Abdul Ghani also urged local authorities to forge a better relationship with manufacturers.

“Local authorities have been reminded time and time again to provide efficient service towards manufacturers,” he said.