Keeping the jewel of Iskandar Malaysia always shining

RECENTLY, more than 500 Umno leaders from the state were taken on a tour of projects in the mammoth Iskandar Malaysia project.

The delegation, led by Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, was taken on a boat cruise from Danga Bay to the Puteri Harbour waterfront in Nusajaya and also visited the Johor State New Administrative Centre (JSNAC).

This was the first time such a large Umno delegation, mainly grassroots leaders, were seeing the project taking shape since its launch with great pomp in 2006.

The leaders were given an extensive presentation about how the projects were progressing and how the people, especially bumiputra entrepreneurs, would benefit and gain from other opportunities.

The half-day event impressed many of the leaders and they snapped photographs, especially inside JSNAC.

The complex, which will be Johor’s new administrative capital, is expected to be named Kota Iskandar during its official launch by the Johor Sultan today.

The sprawling 129ha complex, which features Moorish-Andalusia architecture, comprises the new Johor State Legislative Assembly building, the Mentri Besar’s and state secretary’s offices, Dataran Mahkota (Ceremonial Plaza) and two clusters of state government office complexes.

The total cost is RM1.5bil and it will take several years to be fully developed.

Some state offices from the present complex in Bukit Timbalan, Johor Baru, have already started moving to Kota Iskandar.

The project is undertaken by UEM Land Bhd’s subsidiary Cahaya Jauhar Sdn Bhd, a joint venture company of the Johor government.

Most state agencies will operate from the complex in the coming months while the offices for Federal Government agencies will be completed within the next two years.

To ensure JSNAC is accessible at a short travel time, a six-lane 30.6km coastal highway costing more than RM1bil is being built to link Johor Baru and Nusajaya.

Nusajaya assemblyman Datuk Aziz Sapian feels the highway will spur development in the two areas.

While the relocation of more than 1,000 government servants to Kota Iskandar will spur development in Gelang Patah and Nusajaya, Malaysian Indian Business Association president P. Sivakumar hopes the Government will not neglect Johor Baru city.

“A lot of shops in Johor Baru closed down after the new Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex was opened at the end of last year,” he said.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak must have a good set of advisers to ensure the projects in Iskandar Malaysia are continued,” he said, adding that too much had been invested in the project.

While Kota Iskandar is poised to mirror Putrajaya, it is important for the Government to build the infrastructure, including a hospital, fire and police stations and a bus terminal, similar to that in Presint 7 in Putrajaya.

No point having international-class buildings and architecture, which are talked about internationally. When a person or investor is sick or in trouble, he need not have to travel many kilometres to seek assistance.

Efforts should be taken to ensure that public amenities are centralised and not inconvenience the people.

Aziz said, while plans for the amenities were in the pipeline, he hoped to get the support of the relevant agencies to speed up the development.

“It is going to be an important growth area for investors and not just as an administration centre.

“To ensure it continues to develop, I will work with all the relevant agencies,” he said.

Another aspect, which the Government has to look into seriously, is building and infrastructure maintenance. There is no point in having first-class facilities and third-class maintenance.

While much of Kota Iskandar’s architecture looks stylish, especially the woodwork, it will require regular maintenance because of Malaysia’s humid weather.

The Government should look into forming a body similar to Perbadanan Putrajaya, which acts as a one-stop centre to provide information to people visiting the area via information counters or its websites.

Efforts should also be taken to promote Kota Iskandar as a tourist destination.

Johor Tourist Guides Association and Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong felt the centre could be promoted for day-trippers.

Kota Iskandar, dubbed the Crown Jewel of Iskandar Malaysia, is among the first projects to be completed under the project.

It is of paramount importance that everything runs smoothly and it is well maintained to ensure the “jewel” never loses its shine.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/4/16/southneast/3700642&sec=southneast