12th Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee Meeting for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM)

The Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) met for its twelfth working meeting in Singapore. This meeting marks the tenth year of collaboration since the JMCIM was set up in 2007. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and YB Dato' Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. Also present were the Menteri Besar of Johor, YAB Dato' Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Singapore's Minister for National Development, H.E Minister Lawrence Wong. Senior officials from both countries were also present.

At the meeting, Singapore and Malaysia reaffirmed the progress of Iskandar Malaysia and reiterated their commitment to its continued development. The JMCIM praised the High Speed Rail Work Group (HSRWG) for the substantive progress made in planning for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project. The JMCIM noted that discussions on the commercial, regulatory, security and technical issues are ongoing. They welcomed the recent completion of the Request for Information (RFI) exercise on the project’s commercial model and procurement approach. The JMCIM also discussed preparations towards the conclusion of a bilateral agreement between the two countries, and reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the project expeditiously, bearing in mind its scale and complexity.

The Transportation Links Work Group (TLWG) continues to work on strengthening transport connectivity. On the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, the JMCIM welcomed Malaysia’s confirmation that Bukit Chagar would be the terminus location in Johor Bahru linking to Singapore’s Woodlands North MRT Station. They noted the discussions on the second phase of the Joint Engineering Study on the RTS Link, and looked forward to its commencement. The JMCIM also welcomed the increase in frequency of the KTMB Tebrau shuttle between Johor Bahru and Woodlands from 14 to 22 daily services, which has seen an accompanying increase in the ridership of the shuttle.

The JMCIM noted that the Industrial Cooperation Work Group (ICWG)’s four areas of collaboration in Advanced Materials Engineering (AME), Electronics, Food and Creative Services were progressing well. As part of ICWG’s efforts to strengthen the ecosystems, both sides are jointly operationalising their industry roadmaps. For AME, the ICWG has already jointly identified several Engineering Support companies in Malaysia that will have opportunities to collaborate with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Singapore and Malaysia. For Electronics, the ICWG is exchanging information and best practices on improving productivity to enhance the competitiveness of the semiconductor manufacturing sector. For Food, the ICWG is rolling out a series of activities such as an upcoming outreach seminar on opportunities in Malaysia for the halal sector and a possible site visit to an industrial halal park in Malaysia. According to Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)’s statistics, Singapore-based food manufacturing companies have invested a total of RM364 million into Iskandar Malaysia. The JMCIM also looks forward to the conclusion of a Malaysia-Singapore Co-Production Treaty in the Creative Services sector.

The Immigration Work Group (IWG) continues to make progress in terms of facilitating cross-border movement of people and goods. Similar to ICA’s BIKES II which allows simultaneous automated self-immigration clearance of both motorcyclists and pillion for motorcycles covering a total of 164 counters in both Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints by end-2016, Malaysia will be implementing M-BIKE which allows motorcyclists and pillion to clear immigration concurrently when they pass through the M-BIKE lanes. The development of M-BIKE facilities and infrastructure include a total of 100 lanes in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (Causeway) and 50 lanes in Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (Second Link).

The JMCIM noted the progress made by the Iconic Project Work Group (IPWG). The physical construction at Afiniti Medini is largely completed and it has also secured Parkway Pantai as the anchor tenant for the wellness component. For Avira Medini, the first phase of terrace homes comprising 208 units is scheduled to be handed over for possession by July 2016 while the next phase of 172 units is targeted for launch in second half of 2016.

The Tourism Work Group (TWG) continues to work closely on capability development and joint promotion of the twinning initiative for Sungei Buloh and Pulau Kukup. The TWG will promote the two nature sites by showcasing the respective collaterals in each other’s parks after the upgrading works at Pulau Kukup is completed this year. To attract more visitors to both Pulau Kukup and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the TWG is also exploring activities, joint events and student programmes.

The JMCIM noted that the Environment Work Group (EWG) has continued to make good progress in environmental cooperation through knowledge sharing and capacity building. Through the conduct of a capacity building workshop on air quality management, participants were able to share experience in air pollution control and exchange technical knowledge and expertise on technology solutions to reduce emissions and further improve air quality in Malaysia and Singapore. The EWG will also continue to collaborate through capacity building programmes in the other areas of environmental education, waste and resource management and energy efficiency.