ECONOMIC CORRIDORS OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

On 4 April 2008 I have a great opportunity to attend half day seminar on Economic Corridors of Peninsular Malaysia organised by MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF PLANNERS (MIP) at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre. In 2007, we have witnessed the birth of 3 corridor development master plans in Peninsular Malaysia i.e Iskandar Development Region (IRDA), Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and East Corridor Economic Region (ECER). The master plans are long term plans and are aimed to unleashed the economic potential of the corridors and enhances the people's quality of life and their income level.

This was partly the resultant of the identification of growth conurbations in the National Physical Plan and the call for a more balanced development growth in the country. All three corridors of the Peninsular Malaysia will bring about great change to development and allocation of funds and budget is based on these master plans projects. This seminar have explored and udpated planners in its current progress. 3 main speakers involved in this seminar are :

a. Encik Ismail Ibrahim from IRDA with the topic of "The Comprehensive Development Plan of Iskandar Development Region" have explained that aims of IRD to be a sustainable region of international standard. The beacon of new growth, IDR will spur economic developments that actuate Malaysia's global potential. Recognising the need for sustainable development, social and environmental issues features heavily on its agenda. IDR's commitment to these causes are evident in its manifestation within the IDR Masterplan.IDR is the ideal place to do business within the Johor-Singapore-Indonesia (JSI) Triangle. It offers state-of-the-art physical infrastructure and a world-class business environment like excellent logistical facilities, cyber cities, and central business administration. South Johor as a whole complements Singapore's growth strategy with an environment that provides an alternative "quality of life" that is not readily available in the Island State.

b. Y Bhg Dato' Jebasingam Issace John from ECER with the topic of East Coast Economic Region Master Plan had explained that ECER is covering the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the district of Mersing in Johor, is set to become Malaysia's latest and most exciting region offering diverse business opportunities to potential investors.Located strategically in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the ECER is well placed to become a major trade and industrial gateway, offering investors access to the vast, burgeoning markets of the Asia Pacific region and beyond, encompassing a vibrant market of about two billion people. The main objective of the ECER Master Plan is to accelerate the growth of the East Coast Economic Region in a viable, equitable and sustainable manner. This is undertaken via programmes and projects to raise incomes and reduce poverty by expanding employment prospects through the introduction of high impact, catalytic projects to spur development in the region

c. Encik Azli Razali from NCER with the topic of Northern Corridor Economic Region Master Plan had explained thatNCER development programme is a Government initiative to accelerate economic growth and elevate income levels in the north of Peninsular Malaysia – encompassing the states of Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang and the north of Perak. The NCER initiative will span from 2007 to the end of the 12th Malaysia Plan period, i.e. 2025.There are a number of objectives behind the NCER initiative. Firstly, the programme is part of the Government’s commitment to helping the Region maximise its economic potential and closing the development and income gap between the different regions in Malaysia. Secondly, the Malaysian economy aims to move towards higher value-add and knowledge-based economic activities to drive further increases in per capita income. The NCER has the potential to make Malaysia a regional leader in a number of these sub-sectors.

The overall theme for the Northern Corridor initiative is “increasing value add from existing industries”, emphasising transformation and expansion of the agricultural, manufacturing, tourism and logistics sectors in the Region. The North, already the rice bowl of the country, has the potential to be at the forefront of the transformation of Malaysia’s agricultural sector, embracing commercial-scale farming and the latest technologies to become a modernised food zone, increasing exports of premium fresh and processed agricultural products and helping Malaysia to meet its food self-sufficiency objectives in staple foods such as rice. Already a home to one of the most important sectors of the economy – namely the electrical & electronics (E&E) sector – the NCER initiative will seek to accelerate the sector’s move towards higher value-add activities such as design and R&D.

Key tourism assets such as Langkawi and Pulau Pinang will be enhanced to attract higher-yielding tourists, thereby increasing per capita tourist spending and the size of the tourism industry in the Region. Together with the strengthening of existing sectors namely agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, the NCER initiative will also seek to develop new industries in the Region, such as the cultivation of new commercial crops and the promotion of downstream activities in the agricultural sector, the promotion of new manufacturing activities such as biotechnology, sustainable materials and oil and gas, and the leveraging of the NCER’s well-established transport infrastructure and geographical proximity to Thailand and Sumatera to become the processing, logistics and trade centre for the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).

QUESTIONS

a. How are them these plans incorporated into Federal Department of Town and Country Planning (FDTCP) of Peninsular Malaysia's Development Plan system?

b. What is the legal status of these Master Plan?

c. Who is the custodian of these Master Plans?

d. Will they create competing markets?

e. Are these plans competing or complementing each other?

f. Will they boost Malaysia economy for next 10-15 years?

g. Will Penang and Johore Bahru are globalization cities for the next 10 years?

h. The 3 economic corridors will provide international standard of facilities and infrastructures to attract foreign investors... Will our local authorities and cities (which fall in the economic corridors) are more efficient?

The ironics about this seminar are :

a. 2 of the paper presenter are FDTCP senior town planner officers (Encik Ismail Ibrahim and Y Bhg Dato' Jebasingam Issace John) - I am so pround for both of you. I can see you so passionate of your job thats why you can deliver your paper and anwer the questions so confident.

b. These 3 economic corridors are sitting in one place and try to 'talk and communicate each other'- I hope they do not competing but complementing each other.

Thank you MIP for organising this seminar and 3 papers presented will assist my research. I hope MIP will organise a Seminar on Sabah and Sarawak Economic Corridors.