Anwar urges Johor to prioritise people’s needs over mega projects such as JS‑SEZ and RTS

JOHOR BAHRU, July 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called on the Johor state government to address the people’s needs rather than focusing on the state’s mega projects.

He said a state is not measured only by mega projects, but also the needs of the people.

Anwar reminded that state governments that they have a responsibility to improve public housing, schools, mosques, roads and facilities in the villages and also in Felda schemes.

“There is no point complaining that the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) blueprint is delayed and the project is running with tens of billions of ringgit inflows recorded.

“The project had already attracted around RM10 billion in investments even before the agreement was signed.

“The negotiations were also conducted directly by me and my Singapore counterpart,” he said when speaking at the Johor Youth Dialogue programme in Felda Ulu Tebrau near here last night.

Anwar attended the event in his capacity as the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman and PKR president. He was accompanied by the coalition’s Puteri Wangsa candidate Dr Maszlee Malik.

He said Johor was receiving substantial federal allocation because of its potential as an important economic growth catalyst in the region. 

“In fact, Johor’s allocation is higher than those given to Perak, Selangor and Penang.” he said.

Anwar pointed out that major development projects such as the JS-SEZ and Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link are under the responsibility of the federal government to complete.

Besides large-scale projects, he said the state government should look into improving facilities under its jurisdiction such as small roads, public housing, mosques and also rural facilities.

“Please take a look. I will help with the (large-scale projects) worth tens of billions as that is my responsibility,” he said.

An the event, Anwar said engaging in dialogue and defending fact-based views reflects on society’s maturity in dealing with differences of opinion.

He said that the culture of dialogue is the best medium to build understanding, give rise to ideas and be an effective solution to various issues.

“An open dialogue can also strengthen unity and foster a culture of mutual respect despite differences of opinion within the community,” he said.