Invest Johor CEO: JS-SEZ is more than a Singapore proximity play — it's a catalyst for Malaysia's national growth agenda

MALAYSIA / SINGAPORE: Invest Johor’s Chief Executive Natazha bin Hariss has outlined Johor’s role in Malaysia’s investment strategy at the RHB Progress Series 2026, arguing that the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone represents more than cross-border convenience, but is also a potential catalyst for deeper economic integration and organic growth across the country.

Speaking as a panellist at the session titled “Advancing the National Growth Agenda Through Distinct Regional Growth Engines,” Natazha positioned Johor alongside Penang and Sarawak as complementary pillars of Malaysia’s national investment proposition, with each bringing distinct capabilities rather than competing for the same pool of investors.

A recurring theme in Natazha’s discussion was the need to reframe how Johor is understood as an investment destination. Its proximity to Singapore is an asset, but the JS-SEZ is designed to turn that geographic relationship into something more substantive: a framework for economic integration that generates new business activity and growth trajectories beyond what either side could achieve independently.

With Singapore set to assume the ASEAN chairmanship, Natazha noted that the forthcoming national-level launch of the JS-SEZ carries added regional significance.

Natazha also identified close coordination between the Federal and State Governments as essential to realising the JS-SEZ’s potential, specifically in infrastructure planning, policy coordination, investment delivery, and long-term economic development. The argument is that investor confidence depends not just on what Johor offers on paper, but on the seamlessness of the institutional environment they encounter when trying to establish, expand, or reinvest.

Why this matters for Singapore

For Singapore-linked businesses and investors, the development of the JS-SEZ as a national growth catalyst, rather than a state-level initiative, has practical implications. It shows that the zone’s development is being positioned at the highest levels of Malaysian economic policy, which reduces the risk of it being deprioritised in favour of competing domestic agendas.

The emphasis on federal-state alignment also addresses one of the more persistent concerns among potential investors: that decisions made at the state level in Johor may not be backed by the federal coordination needed to deliver on infrastructure and policy commitments.

Read also: JS-SEZ master plan to be launched in December at leaders’ retreat, PMs Anwar and Wong to jointly unveil it in Malaysia