JS-SEZ investment must reach local SMEs, not just big players — Lee Ting Han tells Johor State Treasury Day forum

JOHOR BAHRU: Johor Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee Chairman Lee Ting Han has called on the state to ensure that investment flowing into the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) translates into real opportunities for local small and medium enterprises, not just for large international investors.

Speaking at a sharing session titled “JS-SEZ: Opening New Opportunities for SMEs in Johor’s Economy” at the Johor State Treasury Day 2026 at Sunway Big Box Retail Park in Iskandar Puteri, Lee said investment inflows must open pathways for local companies to become suppliers, service providers, and business partners within the industrial supply chain.

“Investments that come in must open opportunities, and those opportunities must reach local entrepreneurs and the people of Johor,” he said in his translated Facebook post.

The session was also attended by Invest Johor CEO Tuan Haji Natazha bin Hariss and moderated by Encik Ahmad Murad bin Mat Hanafiah from IRDA.

Building SME readiness for the JS-SEZ

Lee said the Johor State Government is committed to creating a more conducive business ecosystem by strengthening cooperation between investors, government agencies, and industry players, while empowering local SMEs through access to market opportunities, business networks, skills development, and capacity building.

“This effort is crucial to ensure that local companies are better prepared to meet industry needs and take part in the opportunities brought by the JS-SEZ,” he said, adding that the relationship between investors and local businesses must be continuously strengthened so that opportunities translate into enhanced business capabilities, employment, and income for Johoreans.

Why this matters

Lee’s emphasis on SME inclusion shows a concern that has run through the JS-SEZ’s development since its inception: that large-scale foreign investment, if not deliberately connected to the local supply chain, can generate economic activity that largely bypasses the domestic economy.

The call for local companies to be positioned as suppliers and partners rather than bystanders to the zone’s growth is a policy priority that the state government is embedding into its investment facilitation approach ahead of the December masterplan launch.

With Johor recording RM59.4 billion in approved investments in H1 2026 and the JS-SEZ drawing increasing international interest from companies across China, Canada, Hong Kong, and beyond, the question of how that investment reaches ordinary Johoreans and local businesses is one that the state government is actively working to answer.

Read also: Johor promotes digital investment opportunities and JS-SEZ at international MDX Forum 2026