Grand Iskandar taking shape

NUSAJAYA: There is a sense of excitement in Iskandar Malaysia as key projects in this mammoth economic corridor take shape.

One of this year's highlights will be the opening of the Johor Premium Outlet (JPO) in Kulai-jaya with Prime Minsiter Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak slated to attend the opening on Nov 11.

Shoppers will be able to buy branded items at factory discounts of 25% and above for famous brands including Gucci, Prada, Coach, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren, Esprit and Calvin Klein.

Spectacular project : Abdul Ghani (right) looking at a model of the waterfront development during the Iskandar Malaysia Information Day recently. Looking on are Khazanah Nasional managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar (second from right) and Kota Selat Tebrau chief executive officer Datuk Lim Kang Hoo (second from left) .

(The JPO is a 50:50 joint venture between Genting Group and United States based Simon Property Group).

Once completed, the gross built-up area of the JPO will be approximately 330,000 sq ft and is expected to bring in four million visitors in its first year of operations.

Besides the JPO, a number of key road infrastructure works have been completed in this vast development which is three times the size of Singapore.

Since the inception of Iskandar Malaysia in 2006, parts of the 2,217 sq km landscape which was once planted with rubber and oil palm is slowly changing with the opening of hospitals, universities, international schools, hotels, and logistics and manufacturing hubs.

Some of the eight road projects have in fact been completed ahead of schedule, namely Jalan Yahya Awal Jalan Lingkaran Dalam Interchange and the Ulu Tiram Interchange.

As for some of the development projects in Nusajaya, the Britain-based Newcastle Uni-versity Medicine Malaysia has been completed while construction of Marlborough College Iskandar is under way.

The construction of Iskandar's Legoland Malaysia theme park, also in Nusajaya, is progressing well and is scheduled to open next year.

Legoland will offer 40 interactive shows and rides along with 15,000 Lego models, including those of famous buildings. It will be the first of three planned theme parks in Iskandar Malaysia.

Two lead players involved in the planning, implementation and funding of the project are Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and the Khazanah Nasional-driven Iskandar Investment Bhd.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman, who is also co-chairman of IRDA, has been hands-on since the inception to ensure the smooth implementation of the projects by having briefings at his office in Nusajaya and at IRDA's headquarters in Danga Bay.

Ghani has been aggressively promoting Iskandar during trips abroad.

These efforts have been successful as to date, RM73.24bil of investment deals have been clinched including 41% from abroad.

“I am happy with the progress of the projects taking shape in Iskandar Malaysia.

“Some of the road projects are actually ahead of schedule,” Ghani said.

Ghani is also known to question officials whenever it comes to projects that seem to be lagging behind, including the Senai flyover built under the supervision of the Public Works Department.

He has earned a reputation for not depending on official briefings on projects and has never hesitated to visit project sites to learn first-hand about delays or the projects' pro-gress.

Singaporean interest and participation in Iskandar is also expected to be further boosted through the settling of some of the thorny issues in the Points of Agreement between Malaysia and the island republic.

“It is just a matter of time before Singa-porean companies start investing in Iskandar in a huge way due to the warming bilateral relations between both countries,” a diplomat said.

IRDA has kept the public informed of the various projects through its Open Day events, including exhibitions.

It has welcomed public feedback and suggestions, and is also engaging theFacebook generation through its Facebook page, “Friends of Iskandar Malaysia”.