The event in Singapore saw the attendance of over 200 business people, government officials and investors alike. Three keynote speeches were given by SBF chairman Lim Ming Yan, the deputy secretary (Trade) of the Ministry of Trade & Industry Jane Lim, and Azfar. Recommendations from the JS-SEZ working group were presented, followed by two panel discussions which saw participation from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Singapore Manufacturing Federation, United Overseas Bank (SGX:U11
) and CapitaLand Development, among others.
We need to look at Singapore and Malaysia, especially Johor, as a unit, so that investors looking at this region can look at the two as one place to invest in, where regulations are streamlined, and movement of goods and people are smoother, says the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Singapore, Dr Azfar Mohamad Mustafar.
Azfar was speaking at the Singapore Business Federation (SBF)’s Johor-Singapore SEZ (JS-SEZ) Joint Investor Forum on July 11, a day after the same edition of the investor forum was held in Kuala Lumpur. The two conferences took place exactly six months after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Singapore and Malaysia to establish the JS-SEZ.
