Onn Hafiz slams JS-SEZ master plan delay; Akmal fires back
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Onn Hafiz Ghazi criticized the federal government for delays in launching the JS-SEZ master plan, arguing it should not wait for the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat at year-end since Singaporean agencies had already provided their input.
- Akmal Nasir rebutted the criticism, insisting the JS-SEZ is not delayed and pointing to RM76.98 billion in approved investments in 2025 as proof that investor confidence remains strong.
- The master plan has been postponed three times: originally slated for end-2025, then March 30, 2026, and now confirmed only for Q4 2026, according to Akmal's Wednesday announcement at a JS-SEZ forum in Kuala Lumpur.
- The clash comes amid campaigning for the July 11 Johor state elections, with Onn Hafiz leading Barisan Nasional's defense of the state against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan coalition.
- Malaysia and Singapore formally signed the JS-SEZ agreement in January 2025, targeting 100 projects worth RM100 billion (US$25 billion) and 100,000 new high-value jobs within the zone's first decade.
- Onn Hafiz has separately pressed the federal government to expedite Johor's elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit project, calling it the state's 'most critical long-term solution' ahead of the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link's January 2027 launch.
Why it matters: The master plan's third postponement to Q4 2026 — originally targeted for end-2025 — coincides with Johor's July 11 state election, turning a cross-border economic initiative into a federal-state political flashpoint. Investors eyeing the zone's RM100 billion pipeline and 100,000 promised jobs face extended uncertainty over the incentives, investment zones, and inter-agency coordination the blueprint is meant to clarify.
