IDR committee forms 4 workgroups

Business Times - 24 Jul 2007

IDR committee forms 4 workgroups

They will identify and prioritise projects for collaboration in four areas to improve cooperation

By UMA SHANKARI IN JOHOR BARU

THE Malaysia-Singapore joint ministerial committee looking at Johor's Iskandar Development Region (IDR) has set up four workgroups to improve cooperation, it said yesterday.

The workgroups will look at facilitating immigration clearance, enhancing transportation links, tourism cooperation and environmental collaboration within the IDR, which is a special economic zone in Johor state.

The areas of focus were announced after the committee's inaugural meeting in Johor Baru yesterday.

The committee is jointly chaired by Singapore's Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan and his Malaysian counterpart, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Effendi Norwawi.

The workgroups, which will involve relevant agencies on both sides, will identify and prioritise projects for collaboration in each of the four areas, said a statement issued by the two countries.

These four workgroups are about 'facilitating the movement of people, goods and ideas so that we can better complement each other's strengths', Mr Effendi said.

Mr Mah said: 'Singapore is keen to work with Malaysia on the IDR's development and is confident that a successful IDR will benefit both our countries.'

The joint ministerial committee was set up to ease cooperation between the two countries on specific matters - including bringing about fuss-free travel - to boost the development of the 2,217-sq-km zone.

Malaysia wants the IDR to be the country's next growth area, and is trying to attract foreign investors - including those from Singapore.

The committee is a follow-up to a retreat in May when the Prime Ministers of the two countries agreed to explore bilateral cooperation to develop the IDR.

The ministerial committee is due to meet every quarter, while the workgroups will meet more frequently, to ensure that the initiatives which have been identified have been successfully implemented.

For now, the workgroups are slated to meet within the next month and will then report their progress to the ministerial committee at its next meeting.