JOHOR BARU: The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) agreement is expected to be finalised as scheduled this year despite an upcoming leadership transition in Singapore, says state executive councillor Lee Ting Han.

The Johor investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman said meetings and discussions between working committees from both sides of the Causeway have continued as usual.“We have checked with our Singaporean counterparts on this.

“So far, it is very unlikely that the transition will cause delays in the establishment of the SEZ.“

During the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the SEZ, both countries have agreed to have the full-fledged agreement ready during the Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat this year.“

As of now, there are no talks of pushing the date further. Both countries have been giving their commitment to having the SEZ established as scheduled,” he said.

On April 15, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (pic) announced that he will hand over power to his successor, Lawrence Wong.Wong, 51, is currently the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Singapore and has been prime minister-in-waiting since 2022.

Wong will be sworn in as Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister on May 15, ahead of the Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat, which is expected to be held between September and October.

On the SEZ, Ting Han said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had made his stance clear during the special Johor development meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on April 18.

“The Prime Minister has a very clear direction and has instructed the respective ministries involved in the SEZ to speed things up,” he said.

Ting Han added that there are currently eight internal working committees on the Malaysian side, each focusing on specific elements, including talent development, land matters and ease of movement.

“Talent shortage remains the biggest challenge.

“We are currently discussing how we can revamp the Johor Skills Development Centre (Johor Skills) as one of the efforts to address this issue.

“We are also looking at curating training and learning initiatives with Singapore to address the talent and skill gaps for relevant industries.“This is one of the initiatives Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to explore during the MOU signing,” he said.

In January, Malaysia and Singapore signed an MOU for SEZ.This came two months after the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat, in which the two prime ministers announced that they had agreed to jointly develop the SEZ.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/27/sez-agreement-on-track-despite-spore-leadership-transition