25 May 2010 , By Bernama

Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to reduce the toll charges for the Second Link to increase the road connectivity between the two countries.

This was announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong after the leaders’ retreat at the Shangri-La Hotel here Monday.

The toll charges at both sides of the Second Link, connecting Tuas here and Tanjung Kupang in Johor, would be reduced significantly, both the leaders said at a joint press conference after the retreat.

The new toll charges will be announced within a month.

Najib said he and Lee agreed that for the two countries to further enhance their bilateral ties, the road connectivity between Malaysia and Singapore needed to be increased and smoothened.

Both leaders also announced that the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) on Iskandar Malaysia, tasked to increase the connectivity between the two countries, had agreed on several moves.

The cross-border scheduled bus services will be doubled with the introduction of eight new additional routes, four from each side, between Pasar Bakti and Larkin in Johor and the two integrated resorts (the Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands Singapore), Boon Lay, Yishun, Newton and Changi Airport in Singapore.

Cross-border taxi services will also be liberalised, with taxies being allowed to pick up and drop off passengers from any location on the domestic leg of that journey, instead of only at the designated taxi terminals.

The JMC has also formed a Cross Border Land Checkpoint Committee to facilitate cooperation on operational management and cross-border traffic.

On tourism, both countries are looking into the possibility of twinning an eco-tourism product.

Malaysia and Singapore would also share experiences and jointly develop plans for river cleaning in line with efforts being undertaken in Iskandar Malaysia.

25 May 2010 , By Bernama

Iskandar Malaysia will parcel out about 200 hectares (500 acres) of land for the proposed joint iconic wellness township project between Malaysia and Singapore.

Malaysia’s Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Singapore’s Temasek Holding Ltd will form a 50-50 joint venture company to undertake the development of the project with the participation of private sectors from both countries.

This was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak after meeting Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a leaders’ retreat at Shangri-La Hotel here Monday.

Today’s announcement is the latest tangible development after the idea for the project was mooted during Najib’s official visit to Singapore following his appointment as prime minister early last year.

In their joint press conference, both Najib and Lee reiterated their support for the “live work play” wellness township concept proposed by the Joint Ministerial Committee on Iskandar Malaysia (JMC) which would offer holistic wellness services and facilities.

Both leaders hoped to launch the project within a year.

The township will be designed to be vibrant, culturally distinctive, yet socially harmonious and environmentally friendly.

A unique feature of the project will be the encapsulation of “wellness” within activities throughout the township, alongside the integration of traditional healing methods, complementary alternative

25 May 2010 , By The Star

Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Temasek Holdings Limited will form a 50-50 joint venture company to develop an iconic wellness township in Iskandar Malaysia involving the private sectors from both countries.

Malaysian and Singapore leaders who met here yesterday announced they expected the project to be launched within a year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, who jointly announced the project after their retreat, said they supported the “live-work-play” wellness township concept, offering holistic wellness services and facilities.

The proposed project will involve up to 202.3ha of land.

Singapore also announced that upon the expiry of the 1961 agreement on the supply of water to Singapore from Johor on July 1, 2011, the island republic would hand over the Skudai waterworks asset free of charge and in good working order.

Najib said Malaysia was considering reducing toll rates on the Second Link, adding that Singapore would also consider matching the reduction Malaysia would offer.

He also hoped the agreement reached this round would be a positive signal for both sides, including the private sector.

Najib also said Malaysia still planned to have a third link to Singapore, adding that it was a long-term project.

24 May 2010 , By Bernama

The federal government has agreed in principle on the transformation plan for Johor Baharu city proposed by the Johor state government, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said that initially the federal government had agreed to allocate RM200 million to clean and eliminate the pollution problem in Sungai Segget.

“In principle, the federal government supports the proposal of the Johor state government to transform the Johor Baharu city into a modern and dynamic urban centre,” he said after a ‘walkabout’ at JB Bazaar, here.

He said the pollution problem in Sungai Segget, which flows through the Johor Baharu city centre, was caused by uncontrolled discharge into the river.

The Prime Minister, who arrived in Johor Saturday morning for a one-day visit, said cleaning works on Sungai Segget were expected to take between one-and-a-half to two years.

“Once the cleaning works on Sungai Segget have been completed, I can visualize gondolas travelling up and down the river, just like in Venice, Italy.

Johor Baharu will become the Venice of Malaysia,” he said.

Under the Johor Baharu transformation plan, he said, there were also other suggestions including the construction of an iconic arch on the Johor Causeway, which is the main entry point into Malaysia from the southern part of the peninsula.

In addition, he said, there was also a proposal to create an opening underneath the Johor Causeway to enable water to flow through and improve the water quality in the Tebrau Straits.

Earlier during the walkabout, Najib had the opportunity to spend about 15 minutes visiting the Chinese Heritage Museum at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, which keeps various artifacts and documents on the Chinese community.

Najib and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, were greeted on arrival by thousands of the Chinese community who had waited for the couple since the afternoon.

The Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and wife, Datin Professor Dr Jamilah Ariffin, as well as the state executive councillors, then walked along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Segget, while looking at the various goods sold at the JB Bazaar.

The JB Bazaar, which began operation on Jan 10 this year, was opened by the Johor Baharu Municipal Council to enliven the city. It is the venue for various business activities, like a night market, “pasar karat”, “bazar lambak” and “luton van”.

Aimed at attracting tourists, among the goods sold at the bazaar are clothings, gifts, leather goods and used items.

About 370 traders operate their business at the bazaar, which opens daily from 6pm to 2am.

The Prime Minister and his wife then left for Singapore to begin a two-day visit to the republic.

21 May 2010 , By Bernama

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will launch the MyWorkLife@Iskandar Showcase, a two-day lifestyle event aimed at highlighting the various opportunities of living and working in Iskandar Malaysia.

MyWorkLife@Iskandar Showcase will open its doors to the general public from 10am to 5pm daily this Saturday and Sunday at Puteri Harbour, Kota Iskandar, Johor. Admission is free.

The Transformation Management Office (TMO) of the Putrajaya Committee on GLC High Performance (PCG) in a statement on Thursday said, the event will also highlight Malaysia’s key transformation initiatives.

The initiatives include the Government Linked Companies Transformation (GLCT) Programme under the auspices of the PCG and the Government Transformation Programme (GTP).

“The event promises to be real treat for those desiring to make a turning point in life by seeking new opportunities in Iskandar Malaysia,” Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s Executive Director, Strategic Human Capital Management, Shahnaz Al-Sadat said.

She also said the Prime Minister will launch the MyWorkLife website, a virtual platform intended to reach out, attract and engage potential talent for the GLCs and the private sector.

“The website offers information that will help talent, whether Malaysians working abroad and or foreigners, in their decision-making process on whether to return to work in Malaysia,” she added.

Those unable to attend the event are encouraged to visit the MyWorkLife@Iskandar website at www.myworklife.my and participate in the online discourse.

Iskandar Investment Bhd has been named ‘Best Developer in the Commercial/Office/Retail Development (Future)’ category at the 2010 Cityscape Asia Real Estate Awards for its shopping mall at Iskandar Malaysia.

The Lifestyle Mall, scheduled to open end-2012, will offer a variety of entertainment, food, beverage and retail options, and is projected to generate RM345 million in annual retail spending and attract 2.3 million visitors yearly.

The 2010 Cityscape Asia Real Estate Awards, held here last night, recognises and rewards companies whose projects have shown outstanding performance and achievement in Asia’s real estate industry.

In a statement Wednesday, Arlida Ariff, president and chief executive officer of Iskandar Investment said: “This award is testimony to Iskandar Investment’s strength in setting standards for sustainable and visionary developments in Asia.”

She said the Lifestyle Mall would not only be a superior retail and entertainment destination in Medini North, it would also be a catalyst of growth in Iskandar Malaysia and the region.

20 May 2010 , By Bernama

Iskandar Investment Bhd, which oversees a special development zone in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor, will offer RM1 billion worth of contracts for retail outlets, hotels and office space by the end of this year, an executive said.

Financing will come “substantially” from equity from partners Chief Executive Officer Arlida Ariff said in an interview today. The rest would be through bank borrowings, she said.

Malaysia’s government launched the Iskandar development in November 2006 with the hope of attracting 382 billion ringgit of investment into the area in two decades.

State-controlled Iskandar Investment will tender out another six packages of contracts worth 250 million by the end of this month for the construction of schools, a stadium and initial administrative buildings for a Legoland theme park, Arlida said.

Iskandar Investment has seen a “marked increase” in interest from foreign investors from Southeast Asia as the global economy recovers, Arlida said. In particular, there was been growing interest out of neighboring Singapore, she said.

“For the balance of this year, we will be going out quite aggressively into the region, focusing mainly on Asia,” said Arlida. “We will be travelling to China, South Korea and possibly Indonesia in the next three months” to attract investors and speak to people who’ve shown interest in the past, she said.

19 May 2010 , By Business Times

Malaysia and Singapore Thursday agreed to reactivate the Malaysia-Singapore Business Council (MSBC) to further boost bilateral trade relations.

Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, said the decision was made after he met with representatives of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF).

Mustapa is here for two days, starting today, to meet with various parties, from the Singapore business community and foreign businessmen based in the island nation to discuss the economy and investment in Malaysia.

In an interview with Bernama, Mustapa said the council would be headed SBF chairman, Tony Chew.

The council, Mustapa said, was set up six years ago and has not been active since four years ago.

He said the Singapore investors and the foreign businessmen based here had been increasingly positive towards Malaysia.

Singapore is the fourth largest investor in Malaysia after US, Japan and Germany.

He said bilateral trade relations had been strengthened especially since after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s here early last year.

“It is now in ‘concrete phase’ and the Singaporean companies have shown interest and commitment to invest in Malaysia.

“There are companies who will increase their investments and others who will make their first investments in the country,” he said.

Mustapa said the companies would not only invest in Johor’s Iskandar Malaysia but in other states like Malacca and Perak, especially in health tourism.

“For example, state-owned Regency Specialist Hospital in Johor will expand the hospital to meet the increasing demand from Singapore patients and will also build another hospital in Malacca,” he said.

He said in meetings this year, safety issues or crime in Johor were not brought up again by the Singapore and foreign investors as in the past.

“Crime was a hot issue among Singaporeans and investors who feared for their safety and worried about their properties at one time.

Tomorrow, Mustapa, who was accompanied director-general of Malaysian Industrial Development, Datuk Jalilah Baba, will attend the 12th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in Singapore and meet with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore before returning to Kuala Lumpur.

14 May 2010 , By Bernama

More than 25,000 visitors thronged the third Iskandar Malaysia Open Day (IMOD) last week to find out about the progress and updates of the economic region.

Themed “A Vision For All’, the IMOD was held outside the IOI Mall in Kulai on the weekend of May 1 and 2.

The IMOD was jointly organised by the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and its partners and other government agencies in Iskandar Malaysia.

The IMOD showcased the implementation progress in the various areas of development in the Iskandar Malaysia region, including Safety and Security, Environment, Infrastructure, Public Housing, Medical, Education, Human Capital and Transportation.

Visitors to IMOD were also entertained by cultural performances, clown appearances, LEGO challenges and artist performances.

Production executive M. Subramaniam, 47, said the open day was an excellent initiative because it helped the public to understand more about the region as well as the developments, especially in the Kulai area.

“I hope IRDA will organise more of such events and for the public to participate more actively so that we can all be part of this development,” he said.

Architect T.H Yeoh, 30, said his understanding of Iskandar Malaysia had increased after visiting the IMOD, adding the information provided and activities held were relevant to the public.

Cargo attendant Mohamad Najib Ainan, 28, brought his 19-year-old sister Siti Nurul Radiah to the IMOD because he believed she should gain more knowledge about Iskandar Malaysia and its potential for her career growth.

Johor Mentri Besar and IRDA co-chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who launched the event, announced that Iskandar Malaysia had attracted a total cumulative investment of RM59.04bil to date, reflective of the high level of investor confidence in the Southern economic region.

He said of this total, 54% (RM32.15bil) of the investments were from the foreign companies while the remaining 46% (RM26.89bil) were from local investors.

“This shows that Iskandar Malaysia is not only attracting foreign investors, but also getting support from the local ones, reinforcing the growing confidence of Iskandar Malaysia’s vision and nation’s move to stimulate domestic investments,” he added.

10 May 2010 , By The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Australia’s Walker Corp is investing RM1.7bil to develop Senibong Cove, Johor’s first exclusive waterfront enclave, on the eastern corridor of Iskandar Malaysia.

The project will be developed in a joint venture with the landowner, Iskandar Waterfront Sdn Bhd, via Front Concept Sdn Bhd.

In a statement yesterday, the JV company said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, was instrumental in securing the investment.

Ghani said the project was the first of several initiatives to spread foreign investments in major Iskandar Malaysia growth areas.

The new world-class residential enclave Senibong Cove is developed on 84ha freehold land overlooking the Straits of Johor. — Bernama

The Star-Wednesday April 14, 2010