7th IRDA MOA meeting reviews Iskandar Malaysia's progress

16 November 2009, By IRDA

Kuala Lumpur, Thursday November 12th….Progress attained by the Iskandar Malaysia economic region since it was launched three years ago and the benefits that will accrue to the Rakyat was presented to the seventh IRDA Members of Authority meeting today, jointly chaired by the Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak and the Mentri Besar of Johor Dato’ Haji Abdul Ghani Othman. The members were given updates on the progress of strategic initiatives in Safety and Security, Public Transport industry improvement, incentives and investments.

Progress in Safety and Security development include the establishment of 138 Community Police Posts and 200 trained Auxiliary Police personnel who will be deployed for high visibility policing by end of 2010. At the end of this year alone, 10 Community Police Posts will be procured, prepared and launched to create visible and stronger police presence in residential communities. Also, by end of 2009, a total of 200 integrated CCTVs will be installed in the five municipalities of Iskandar Malaysia – Pontian; Kulai; Pasir Gudang; Johor Bahru Tengah and Johor Bahru; to enhance the monitoring of hot-spot areas in Iskandar Malaysia.

The Members of Authority also discussed the implementation mechanism for the proposed Preferential Tax rate of 15% for Malaysian and foreign Knowledge Workers who reside in Iskandar Malaysia and work in qualifying industry sectors of “Green” technology, Bio-technology, Educational services, Healthcare services, Creative services, Financial advisory and consulting services, Logistics services and Tourism.

Another item on the agenda was the Public Transport Industry improvement project that had seen the establishment of the Iskandar Malaysia Transport Steering Committee (IMTSC) to provide governance and the Pasukan Pengangkutan Awam Iskandar Malaysia (PAIM) as the implementation vehicle with the Unit Perancang Ekonomi Negeri Johor (UPENJ) as the lead agency. This Steering Committee is the first of its kind in Malaysia and is chaired by the State Secretary of Johor, Dato’ Haji Abdul Latiff bin Yusof.

The project implementation will result in the injection of public buses on previously unserved routes – termed as social routes, that serves to close the service gaps for major residential areas and emerging areas in Iskandar Malaysia. For period between December 2009 till the end of March 2010 40 buses will be on the roads to service the social routes.

The Members were also given updates on the investment position in Iskandar Malaysia that remains positive despite the impact of prevailing global economic challenges. The investments garnered are on track with 113% target cumulative committed investment for 2009 achieved to date. Up till October 2009, the total cumulative committed investment is RM50.47 billion. Out of this amount, RM23.52 billion was for Manufacturing, RM14.6 billion was for Property, RM6.61 billion for Utilities; Tourism and others; and RM6.23 billion from Government. The breakdown of committed investment remains consistent with 51% local and 49% foreign investments. For the record as at October 2009, 35% of the cumulative committed investments of RM17.7 Billion have already been spent. Year to date actualized investments for 2009 is RM4.74 Billion. This is expected to provide further 4,000 employment opportunities in Iskandar Malaysia throughout 2009 in addition to the 44,500 employment created since the inception of Iskandar Malaysia in 2006.

The development progress achieved thus far is facilitated by the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) working closely with all State agencies such as JISC and Federal agencies MIDA and MITI, Local Councils as well as key players that include manufacturers; logistics services providers; educational services providers; healthcare services providers, tourism services operators and property developers can only mean continual benefits that accrue to the Rakyat.

For the past three years since its launch in November 2006, Iskandar Malaysia has been under-going notable re-development with improved roads, high-ways and interchanges, cleaner rivers, treated sewerage and flood mitigation, better connectivity and public transport facilities that are benchmarked against the world’s best.

These improvements are expected to contribute towards less traffic congestion, smoother traffic flow, reduced travelling time; minimum flash floods in the city centre and improved bus service for commuters. These amenities will contribute towards a livable, safe, secure, environmentally-sustainable and contemporary environment, abundant with employment and wealth-creation opportunities for its residents and investors.

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About Iskandar Malaysia

Iskandar Malaysia is set to become Southern Peninsular Malaysia's most developed region, where living, entertainment, environment and business seamlessly converge within a bustling and vibrant metropolis.
Located in Johor, the southern gateway to Peninsular Malaysia, its advantages include:

Six to eight hours flight radius from Asia's burgeoning growth centres such as Bangalore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo.
Within reach of a global market of some 800 million people.
Accessible by air, land, rail and sea.
Flanked by three major ports, the Pasir Gudang Port, Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Tanjung Langsat Port.

Encompassing a vast acreage of land, it is the largest single development project ever to be undertaken in the region.

Because of its strategic location, accessibility to leading Asian cities, proximity to some of the world's most rapidly growing and important economies, and a range of attractive fiscal incentives, Iskandar Malaysia is poised to attract an exciting influx of foreign and high-level corporate investments as discerning investors look to benefit from its many advantages and high growth potential.

By having one of the most conducive business environments in the region, Malaysia is easily one of the best places to invest in. Taking into account its competitive wages, low inflation, high staff retention rate, a well-educated and multilingual workforce along with world-class infrastructure, it makes perfect economic sense to invest in a country that is as sound and stable as Malaysia.

About the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA)

The Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) is the regulatory authority mandated to plan, promote and facilitate the development of Iskandar Malaysia into a strong and sustainable metropolis of international standing, where living, working, business and leisure converge seamlessly

For media inquiries, kindly contact Encik Ahmad Asri’ Khalbi or Miss Marsha Tan at 07-233 3000