Johor chief minister emphasises talent development, connectivity are vital for JS-SEZ success
Steady pipeline of skilled workers and pro-business policies aim to attract companies to set up or expand in the zone
Lionel Lim
[SINGAPORE] The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), for which the agreement was formalised in January, has been lauded as a counterbalance to a global economic environment that looks increasingly “closed”.
Ease of movement along with talent development will help to spur growth in the JS-SEZ, noted Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi on Tuesday (Oct 14).
He was speaking at a fireside chat with Beh Swan Gin, permanent secretary at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, at the second JS-SEZ joint investment forum, which was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Onn Hafiz and his team have been meeting with experts from universities such as Harvard and Oxford to explore how Johor can leverage their skills and knowledge through collaborations – a move that Singapore’s government started making decades ago, he noted.
These meetings are part of a wider effort to develop talent in the Malaysian state. Onn Hafiz said he and his team also meet regularly with their counterparts in Singapore, with such events helping them “elevate” themselves as leaders.
The cross-border JS-SEZ aims to marry Johor’s abundant land and resources with Singapore’s connectivity and capital, and show that smaller economies can still thrive amid broader global uncertainties. The zone has also been touted as a model for further integration between Asean economies.
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Johor and Singapore have signed various memorandums of understanding to strengthen their cooperation in technical and vocational education. These include partnerships between Singapore Polytechnic and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, as well as between Singapore’s ITE Education Services and the Johor Skills Development Centre.
The hope is that providing a steady supply of skilled workers alongside pro-business policies will attract companies to set up or expand operations in the JS-SEZ.
Beyond talent development, connectivity is another key consideration for the economic zone. Onn Hafiz said: “We must ensure that there’s ease of movement. We must ensure that there’s better connectivity between both countries, and that is what Singapore and Malaysia have been emphasising.”
In separate remarks at the forum on Tuesday, Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz said that Malaysia is introducing a multiple-entry visa, valid for up to 12 months, through the Xpats Gateway platform. The visa is designed to facilitate investors’ travel and engagement.
To smoothen movement, Singapore and Malaysia in September began allowing travellers to use QR codes instead of passports to clear immigration at the Johor land border.
Beh also noted the “relentless focus on the ease of flow for goods, ease of flow for people, and the ease of doing business” to create an attractive operating environment – which he thinks is arguably more important than incentives.
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