JOHOR BAHRU, April 12 — Strong multi-stakeholder collaboration, anchored on a holistic ecosystem approach, is set to accelerate Johor’s economic transformation, particularly through the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) Singapore director T. Vinothan said aligning government, industry players and investors is critical to ensuring the seamless implementation of initiatives across investment, talent and digital transformation.
He said the Johor-Singapore Cooperation Ministerial Committee (JSCMC) has been established to oversee progress and deliverables under the JS-SEZ, supported by dedicated working groups focusing on digitalisation, talent development and ease of doing business.
“These working groups’ main responsibility is to ensure continued progress, including discussions on the relevance of the JS-SEZ over the next five to 10 years.
“The agreement signed with Singapore is not merely an MOU but a functional agreement. I strongly believe proper coordination within our ecosystem is essential to ensure this is not just a policy paper, but an initiative that delivers real results, with growth spread across Malaysia,” he said.
He was speaking during a session titled ‘Catalysing Regional Competitiveness: The JS-SEZ Blueprint for Cross-Border Innovation and Sustainable Industrial Growth’, held in conjunction with the Asia Summit Advanced Innovation & Manufacturing 2026, here.
Also serving as panellists were Johor Corporation chief talent officer Najmie Noordin and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Regional Digital Economy Office director Raja Segaran.
