Further discussions on Johor-S'pore SEZ will be followed by agreement on terms of reference

ISKANDAR PUTERI - Further discussions between Malaysia and Singapore to create a Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) will be followed by the agreement on terms of reference (TOR) next month, said Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Last July, the two countries agreed to create a special task force to study the establishment of the SEZ, which is expected to report its progress to the leaders at the Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat scheduled for this October.

"God willing, this October, during the Leaders’ Retreat in Singapore which will be attended by the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Prime Minister of Singapore, this matter will be discussed further and will then be followed up with the approval of the TOR," he said at the 15th State Legislative Assembly meeting (DUN) 15th here today.

Onn Hafiz (BN-Machap) said the Johor-Singapore SEZ could make Johor like the city of Shenzhen which flourished after four decades of being a SEZ. He noted that in just four decades, Shenzhen has changed from a small city with a population of around 300,000 people to a high-tech international metropolis with a population of over 17 million people.

"What Shenzhen has achieved proves that the Johor-Singapore SEZ can produce the best results for Johor. However, this matter definitely requires help and cooperation from all parties, from the Singapore government as well as the federal government," he said. - BERNAMA