The Star - Work Harder to Make Johor more Investor-friendly, says MB

Work harder to make Johor more investor-friendly, says MB Hasni operating an excavator at the groundbreaking ceremony for Tropicana Industrial Park in Pekan Nanas, Pontian.

JOHOR government wants all parties to cooperate and continue with efforts to develop and strengthen the state as the preferred destination of investors.

Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said today's global economic landscape had resulted in a more competitive investment climate.

He said the situation offered investors and companies more choices when it came to making investments or setting up operations.

Hasni added that the state should fully utilise its strengths, including its close proximity to Singapore, which is a leading international financial and trade centre.

"We have to continue making our state the preferred destination in Malaysia due to our strategic location in the region," he said during a ground-breaking ceremony for Tropicana Industrial Park in Pekan Nanas, Pontian.

Also present at the event were state housing and local government committee chairman Ayub Jamil, Tropicana Corporation Bhd chief executive officer Lee Han Ming and Pontian district officer Mohd Rafi Abdullah.

"As Singapore's closest neighbour, we need to use the opportunity and added advantage to continue attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs)," said Hasni.

He also called upon the relevant agencies involved in handling investment-related matters to simplify the process and procedures for investors who want to invest in Johor.

He said maintaining existing investors was not enough, adding that all stakeholders must put in more effort to attract new investors into the state.

"We have to be pro-business and investor-friendly, including reducing the bureaucratic processes as this will give potential investors the confidence to come to Johor," said Hasni.

Meanwhile, Hasni's adviser Datuk Tee Siew Kiong when contacted, said the Covid-19 pandemic had affected investment flow globally.

He said like other countries worldwide, Malaysia was not spared from the pandemic.

"However, we should not view this as an obstacle stopping our efforts to attract FDIs," said Tee who was the tourism, domestic trade and consumerism committee chairman.

He said previously Malaysia did not face much competition from other countries in the region in attracting FDIs, as Malaysia had developed good infrastructures.

Tee, however, added that other countries were fast catching up and were putting in more effort to attract new investors.

"Johor has to act fast as it does not only face competition from other Malaysian states but also other countries in the region," he said.

Tee said Johor needed to outline the short-, medium- and long-term strategies, if it wants to position itself as the preferred investment destination in Malaysia and the region.

He said while the manufacturing sector remains relevant, Johor had to move to the next level by focusing on capital-intensive and high-technology investments.

Tee said as one of the major producers of oil palm in the country, Johor should further develop and strengthen its position in downstream activities.

"We need to add value to the raw material derived from oil palm by producing by-products for medical, biodiesel and biotechnology," he said.