Johor will tackle poverty due to COVID-19 as it awaits border reopening with Singapore: Chief minister

JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state government will focus its efforts on resolving poverty and social mobility issues arising from COVID-19, as it awaits the gradual resumption of cross-border travel with Singapore, Chief Minister Hasni Mohammad said on Tuesday (Nov 9).

Speaking during a leadership programme organised by Civil Service College Singapore, Mr Hasni said the prolonged closure of the land borders between Singapore and Johor has impacted the livelihoods of the state’s residents and its economy. 

“Every day I’ve seen (how) our once-bustling streets of Johor Bahru City Centre (have now become) a quiet place with little or no commercial activity. Small traders are feeling the pinch, workers in the retail and hospitality sectors are being relieved from their jobs, sometimes with minimal compensation,” said Mr Hasni.

“As Johor expects a gradual reopening of the Malaysia-Singapore border either through land or air, we should also solve issues of poverty and social mobility. The COVID-19 pandemic has left many households to fall under the poverty line or experience a decrease in income,” he added. 

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Mr Hasni outlined that due to the pandemic, the state’s Gini coefficient, an indicator measuring income inequality, is increasing with middle-income households moving down the ladder and the poor “becoming more vulnerable from day to day”. 

He added that as much as resolving the issue is a matter for the federal government, the Johor state government will attempt to reduce the impact of COVID-19 by encouraging “high-value investments” that will provide more “high-skilled and high-income jobs for Johoreans”.

To cushion the impact of COVID-19 on Johoreans, the state government has unveiled three relief packages, worth more than RM500 million (US$120.50 million). 

He added that for the upcoming Johor 2022 budget, which is expected to be tabled end-November, attention will be given to affected households through “better social protection initiatives backed by updated data”. 

“All in all, the year 2022 will be an optimistic year for Johor. We are committed to making sure the economy is up and running again, with our GDP in 2022 estimated to grow at around 5 per cent to 7 per cent,” said the Benut assemblyman. 

VTL WITH SINGAPORE AN “EXCELLENT START” TO REOPENING LAND BORDERS IN THE FUTURE  

In his speech, the chief minister also welcomed the launch of the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) between Changi Airport and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Nov 29.

“This development is indeed a breath of fresh air and an excellent start for the reopening of the Causeway and the Second Link border crossing in the future,” said Mr Hasni.

The VTL was announced on Monday via a joint statement issued by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers will be able to travel between Singapore and Malaysia, and be subjected to COVID-19 tests in lieu of serving quarantine or stay-home notice.

While the VTL will launch between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Nov 29, both leaders said they looked forward to restoring travel across the land links "between both countries in the near future".

"They were happy to note the good progress in ongoing detailed discussions on a similar vaccinated travel scheme, to reopen travel across the Causeway and the Second Link, taking into account the public health situations in Johor and Singapore," the statement read.

COVID-19 AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SINGAPORE, JOHOR 

In his speech, Mr Hasni added that the COVID-19 pandemic represents an opportunity to improve Johor’s “dynamic relationship” with Singapore. 

“The pandemic has also shown that, through thick and thin, Johor and Singapore will always work together as a unit, in all aspects possible, to reach a certain level of normality in increasingly uncertain times,” said Mr Hasni. 

“And for that reason alone, Johor is a blessed state compared to the others in Malaysia,” he added. 

Mr Hasni outlined how the Singapore Government had donated medical supplies and equipment to Johor and that these are still being used by hospitals in the state. 

He also looked forward to the opening of the Johor Economic, Tourism, and Culture Office (JETCO) in 2022. JETCO is a centre to facilitate Singapore businesses who are interested to commence operations in Johor as well as attract investments for the state. 

“I foresee JETCO to be a one-stop center for constructive exchanges and dialogues in matters of the economy, tourism, and culture between Johor and Singapore,” said Mr Hasni. 

He added that in the post-pandemic future, Johor looks forward to strengthening its multi-faceted relationship with Singapore across various sectors. 

“We believe that the way forward to sustainable post-pandemic recovery is better and stronger cooperation with various bodies, both in government, semi-government, or the private sector based in Singapore,” he said.