SINGAPORE (April 25, 2013): Iskandar Malaysia, formerly known as Iskandar Development Region, is becoming a major success story for Malaysia, said Franklin Templeton's emerging markets group executive chairman Mark Mobius.
"It is a good example of diligent planning and foresight on the part of the government.
"The area has now reached the "take-off" point where developments will become self-generating and create a virtuous circle," he told Bernama.
Singapore is the largest investor in Iskandar Malaysia.
Mobius, who was sharing his views on the election process, said the risks were minimal and as long as the close cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia continued, it will be a win-win situation for both countries.
Under the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore is now at an excellent stage.
This was proven during the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat in February where both Najib and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reaffirmed their commitment to a stronger and mutually beneficial partnership.
Recognising that a dynamic and successful Iskandar Malaysia benefited both Malaysia and Singapore, the leaders agreed to intensify existing cooperation and explore new ways to leverage on the complementarities between Singapore and Iskandar Malaysia.
When asked on the current bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore, Yang Razali Kassim, a Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said: "I would say that Singapore-Malaysia ties are entering a new phase.It is clearly more warm and neighbourly, more constructive and more productive".
With Najib and Lee jointly steering the ship of bilateral relations, both countries seem to be leaving behind the acrimonious ties of the past, especially those of the 1990s.
"We seem to be very serious about wanting to benefit from each other's strengths and from the synergies of close relations.
"Indeed, the word "breakthrough" has been used by both leaders to describe the new phase that bilateral relations are in now.
"And, this breakthrough is concretely captured in several major achievements: the resolution of the long-standing KTM land issue in Singapore; the consequent creation of M+S Pte Ltd (a company owned 60:40 by Khazanah Holdings Bhd, and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd) to take ties forward on the economic front, in creative new ways; and now the announcement of a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Malaysia.
"Visions of KL and Singapore as "twin cities" and as "one virtual urban community" like London and Paris have now been conjured. These are major signposts of a new kind of relationship that we are talking about between Singapore and Malaysia now, and which we can expect in the years to come," added Yang Razali.– Bernama
