JS-SEZ blueprint completed; launch delayed until after Johor polls, says economy minister

KUALA LUMPUR (July 1): The long-awaited master plan and investment blueprint for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) have been completed and approved by the Cabinet, but their launch will only take place after the Johor state elections. This is because Putrajaya is planning for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to unveil the documents jointly.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir (pictured), speaking at the JS-SEZ Executive Forum on Wednesday, said the government decided the documents should be launched jointly by the leaders of both countries to give greater prominence to the bilateral initiative, even though work outlined in the blueprint is already being implemented.

The government is now targeting the fourth quarter of this year to launch the investment blueprint and master plan, he said.

"The blueprint and the master plan have been completed," he said at the JS-SEZ Executive Forum. "The plan is to get both prime ministers again to launch the master plan and blueprint. So I think the timeframe that we are looking at is definitely after the state elections." 

The JS-SEZ, formalised in January 2025, is a bilateral initiative aimed at integrating Johor and Singapore into a globally competitive cross-border economic hub by attracting higher-value investments, improving the movement of goods and people, and strengthening cooperation across sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, digital industries, energy and talent development.

The zone spans economic corridors such as Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Pasir Gudang, Sedenak and Desaru.

The investment blueprint and master plan were initially scheduled for release by the end of 2025 under former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, before the target was pushed back to March 30, 2026, a deadline that was also missed.

Akmal clarified that the delay in the formal launch had not slowed implementation, as the committees overseeing the JS-SEZ were already executing initiatives outlined in the documents.

"Whatever we agreed in the document has actually begun to be implemented," he said, adding that the government's priority this year is execution and delivery.

Akmal added that 57% of the RM76.98 billion in approved investments recorded under JS-SEZ last year had already been realised on the ground.

"The Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre Johor (IMFC-J) will continue to focus on efforts not only to attract new investments, but also to realise investments that have already been secured," he said.

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