I got this news from YTL Community Newsletter. When I read it, I closed my eyes and shooke my head. This question came to me....
Why the hell Capital would invest such value into Johore District? Is it because nearby Singapore. If Singapore is nearby Sarawak, will they do the same thing as well?The following are the NOT so interesting and NOT so satisfied passage...
KL unveils details of S$6.5b plan for Johor
At its weekly meeting yesterday, the Cabinet 'viewed positively' the
bullet train proposal by infrastructure group YTL, Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a statement posted on his website.
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Straits Times Interactive, 3 August 2006
Projects will include waterfront city, theme park and medical hub
By Malaysia Bureau Chief, Reme Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA yesterday unveiled details of a massive RM15
billion (S$6.5 billion) development plan for southern Johor that will be
personally overseen by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.
Called the South Johor Economic Region, or SJER, the 2,217 sq km area -
about three times the size of Singapore - envelops most of southern
Johor.
Political observers are calling the plan 'Abdullah's Langkawi',
likening it to former premier Mahathir Mohamad's pet project for the
development of Langkawi from a backwater island to a tourist magnet.
The SJER development will be anchored by the 'logistics triangle' of
Senai Airport in the north, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in the south-west
and the Johor Port in Pasir Gudang in the south-east.
At its centre is state capital Johor Baru.
Among projects planned for the SJER are an international theme park, a
waterfront city, a medical hub and educational facilities, according to
a statement from state investment fund Khazanah Nasional.
Although sketches of southern Johor's redevelopment have been revealed
over the past few months, the Khazanah statement was the first time an
official map of the area was released, along with further details of
the projects.
The detailed masterplan is expected before the end of the year.
Datuk Seri Abdullah had announced over the weekend that a new
administrative centre for Johor and two high-tech hubs would also be built in
the SJER.
He said that when fully developed, the area could be compared to Hong
Kong or Shenzhen in China.
'Let me stress that this is my idea. It did not come from anyone else.
It is my own vision and plan to create this super corridor in south
Johor to make it the nation's premier growth centre,' he said on Sunday.
Officials have said privately that the southern Johor region hopes to
ride on the growth of tourists from Singapore to boost the development.
A possible added attraction is a proposed RM8 billion Kuala
Lumpur-Singapore bullet train project that would pass through the area.
At its weekly meeting yesterday, the Cabinet 'viewed positively' the
bullet train proposal by infrastructure group YTL, Datuk Seri Abdullah
said in a statement posted on his website.
The Cabinet also approved plans to build a monorail for Penang and a
second bridge to link Penang to mainland Peninsula Malaysia.
The SJER and the two Penang projects are also seen by political
observers as Datuk Seri Abdullah's answer to critics, including within his own
party, that his three-year administration lacked headline-grabbing mega
projects.
The announcements could help reduce flak for him as Umno's 191
divisions start their annual meetings today because many businessmen in the
party look to the government for business contracts. The SJER announcement
followed his soothing of Umno feathers two weeks ago when he unveiled
880 government projects up for tender throughout the country, worth
another RM15 billion.
The annual meetings are watched closely this year because Umno elders
want to control backlash from its three million members over the
relentless attack on the Abdullah administration by Tun Dr Mahathir.
The Penang monorail and second bridge projects, along with some of the
SJER projects, would be privately financed. This is a plus point for a
government that is still trying to balance the federal budget deficit.
Datuk Seri Abdullah is scheduled to visit Johor on Aug 14, where he is
expected to announce further details of the SJER.
Back to the topic... Singapore has now move forward on their huge development on Sentosa IR (Intergrated Resort), and Marina Bayfront Site which would be Asia's largest Casino and luxury Sturcture of all times. The unusual behavior between Malaysia and Singapore is to grab as many visitors as they can so as to boost their economy in long term basis. Earlier news claiming Johore had plans on developing Disneyland in the state acquainting license from the Japan based Disneyland (ASIA). But what they are claiming was, Johore was not their desire destination and they have no plans on that area, instead they are more intersted on implementing Disneyland into Singapore in which Singapore failed to fulfill their request back in the 90s'. Given this, in order to have a better image on this Johore state, Capital of KL simply throw the large amount of investment / scheme into this state in order to "Look Better and attract people's attention".
"Personal Opinion : A small country is simply much easier to develope than big ones since the land is limited and professionals implemented around the globe."
Marina Sands Proposal
Sentosa IR
Why our state, Sarawak is always back to the 80s' and not so much improvement after all? Didn't the government in Kuala Lumpur understand what we need? If tourists is the core line of improving one country's economic, why not make use of the available resources in Sarawak. In Sarawak, we have lands, WIDE LANDS but all developers do was building up a 2-3 storey shop houses. And some more MIRI was UPGRADED to a city years back where in Sarawak you will have more scopes on developing sky-scrappers and bring in new businesses from across the globe. But the west Malaysia simply turned over and unforseen the accounts over here, instead they just think of intergrating thier part and left the east to drill resources for them. NOT FAIR!!!!!!