KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia seemed very hectic in the elapsing year as various activities were launched nationwide to celebrate its tourism year and its 50th anniversary of independence. But it could not overshadow another landscape in the country -- pop-ups of new economic development zones.
Throughout the year, the current Malaysian government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unrolled or launched three economic development zones one after another in a bid to seek a balanced development of the country and enhance the life of every Malaysian.
The idea to establish economic development zones in the country might trace back to about two years ago and it came to reality when Badawi officially launched the country's first economic zone in November last year in the south most state of Johor.
The South Johor Economic Region (SJER) covers a land area of 2,217 square km in southern Johor, which borders Singapore over a strait. It is also called "Iskandar Development Region", named after Johor Sultan Iskandar who attended the launching ceremony.
The SJER aims to develop the region into a strong and sustainable international metropolis through attracting foreign investment.
Under the plan, the SJER would strengthen the region's role as a logistic hub, develop new service-based industries, upgrade human capital development through building education and entertainment satellite cities.
To that end, the Malaysian federal government had initially allocated 4.3 billion ringgit (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) to start up work on security, infrastructure and traffic improvement for 1.35 million people in the SJER.
The government also had set up some management bodies, like the South Johor Development Authority and South Johor Investment Corporation, to strengthen specific services and investment for the economic zone.
From the beginning of this year, the Malaysian government led by Badawi, has been sparing no efforts to promote the SJER and seizing every opportunity to encourage investors, both local and foreign, to go to the country's new leading economic zone to seek for business opportunities.
In August this year, the efforts apparently bore fruits as investors from Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates signed a series of deals with Malaysia on real estate and infrastructure development for the SJER, initially with a total value of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.
The deals represented the single largest foreign real estate development in Malaysia, and one of the largest single foreign investments in Malaysia.
Yet, it was not the only economic zone in the country as Badawi said when he launched it.
At the end of July this year, Badawi took a journey to northern Malaysia, announcing the country introduced another economic development zone -- the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).
The NCER was the Malaysian government's initiative to accelerate economic growth and elevate income levels in the north of Peninsular Malaysia, encompassing the states of Perlis, Kedah, Pinang and the north of Perak.
Under the NCER development plan, the state of Pinang will be the logistics and transportation hub for the region with several major projects to be implemented, including the expansion of Pinang Port and the Pinang International Airport as well as an integrated terminal for rail, road and sea travel.
The hub also is aimed at serving for the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle. The Malaysian prime minister has set up a committee led by himself to oversee the progress of the construction of the zone.
At the end of October this year, Badawi went to the east coastal states on Peninsular Malaysia and unveiled the country's third economic corridor plan -- East Coast Economic Region (ECER), which covers the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the Johor northern district of Mersing.
The ECER, which embraces nearly four million people or 15 percent of population in the country, is aimed at raising incomes of people and generate economic growth there.
According to the development plan, the ECER is expected to 560,000 jobs, attract 112 billion ringgit (33.9 billion U.S. dollars) worth of investment over the next 12 years.
The ECER will involve 227 projects in transportation, infrastructure, tourism, education, manufacturing, the oil and gas industries, and agriculture. It is also aimed at addressing the development imbalance between the east and west coasts of Peninsular Malaysia.
However, it is still not the end of the story. The country is still planning to establish another economic development region in East Malaysia's states of Sarawak and Sabah, which is expected to be launched next year.
Analysts said that these economic development zones planned by the government are expected to boost the overall economic growth of the country and pave the way for the National Front which forms the current coalition government to win the next general election
Throughout the year, the current Malaysian government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unrolled or launched three economic development zones one after another in a bid to seek a balanced development of the country and enhance the life of every Malaysian.
The idea to establish economic development zones in the country might trace back to about two years ago and it came to reality when Badawi officially launched the country's first economic zone in November last year in the south most state of Johor.
The South Johor Economic Region (SJER) covers a land area of 2,217 square km in southern Johor, which borders Singapore over a strait. It is also called "Iskandar Development Region", named after Johor Sultan Iskandar who attended the launching ceremony.
The SJER aims to develop the region into a strong and sustainable international metropolis through attracting foreign investment.
Under the plan, the SJER would strengthen the region's role as a logistic hub, develop new service-based industries, upgrade human capital development through building education and entertainment satellite cities.
To that end, the Malaysian federal government had initially allocated 4.3 billion ringgit (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) to start up work on security, infrastructure and traffic improvement for 1.35 million people in the SJER.
The government also had set up some management bodies, like the South Johor Development Authority and South Johor Investment Corporation, to strengthen specific services and investment for the economic zone.
From the beginning of this year, the Malaysian government led by Badawi, has been sparing no efforts to promote the SJER and seizing every opportunity to encourage investors, both local and foreign, to go to the country's new leading economic zone to seek for business opportunities.
In August this year, the efforts apparently bore fruits as investors from Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates signed a series of deals with Malaysia on real estate and infrastructure development for the SJER, initially with a total value of 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.
The deals represented the single largest foreign real estate development in Malaysia, and one of the largest single foreign investments in Malaysia.
Yet, it was not the only economic zone in the country as Badawi said when he launched it.
At the end of July this year, Badawi took a journey to northern Malaysia, announcing the country introduced another economic development zone -- the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).
The NCER was the Malaysian government's initiative to accelerate economic growth and elevate income levels in the north of Peninsular Malaysia, encompassing the states of Perlis, Kedah, Pinang and the north of Perak.
Under the NCER development plan, the state of Pinang will be the logistics and transportation hub for the region with several major projects to be implemented, including the expansion of Pinang Port and the Pinang International Airport as well as an integrated terminal for rail, road and sea travel.
The hub also is aimed at serving for the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle. The Malaysian prime minister has set up a committee led by himself to oversee the progress of the construction of the zone.
At the end of October this year, Badawi went to the east coastal states on Peninsular Malaysia and unveiled the country's third economic corridor plan -- East Coast Economic Region (ECER), which covers the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the Johor northern district of Mersing.
The ECER, which embraces nearly four million people or 15 percent of population in the country, is aimed at raising incomes of people and generate economic growth there.
According to the development plan, the ECER is expected to 560,000 jobs, attract 112 billion ringgit (33.9 billion U.S. dollars) worth of investment over the next 12 years.
The ECER will involve 227 projects in transportation, infrastructure, tourism, education, manufacturing, the oil and gas industries, and agriculture. It is also aimed at addressing the development imbalance between the east and west coasts of Peninsular Malaysia.
However, it is still not the end of the story. The country is still planning to establish another economic development region in East Malaysia's states of Sarawak and Sabah, which is expected to be launched next year.
Analysts said that these economic development zones planned by the government are expected to boost the overall economic growth of the country and pave the way for the National Front which forms the current coalition government to win the next general election
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