10 ideas for the Johor-Singapore special economic zone to be game changer

4 December 2023 | The Edge Malaysia | by Dr Ong Kian Ming

(Dec 4): The announcement of a Johor-Singapore special economic zone (SEZ) at the Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia on July 14, 2023 was greeted with excitement on both sides of the border. This committee, co-chaired by Economy Minister Mohd Rafizi Ramli, on the Malaysian side, and Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, on the Singapore side, proposed a number of areas of joint cooperation, including industrial development, tourism activities, innovation facilitation and improved connectivity.

The importance of this SEZ was re-emphasized at the leaders' retreat in Singapore on Oct 30, with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) planned for in January 2024 between both countries.

This is a list of 10 proposals, including what I hope are interesting details, to be considered by the Malaysian government, as part of the MOU to be signed in 2024.