Iskandar Development Region - Challenge of Time

Recently, the hottest region in public conversation, first choice of course will be, Iskandar Development Region (IDR), in the state of Johor, Malaysia. This is the nearest state adjacent to the neighbor reputable country –Singapore.

Pictures are extracted from http://www.irda.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=46

This development covers 2,217 sq km, is the single biggest development project in the country. The project area is equivalent to 2.5 times the size of Singapore. This is a development that to be running until 2025, meaning to say it is 18 years development.

Due to its topographic location, making a comparison to developed country –Singapore can be a benchmark to measure its progress. A question raised here, how long Singapore has been developed since it declared independence in 1965, it is 42 years.

Can IDR achieve similar success as what the neighbour has accomplished? It covers a bigger land area and much shorter time frame to make it more challenging! What is the basic requirement to develop a region? Is Malaysia ready and fully equip with the resource and technology to boost it? Perhaps more extensive study into the path of success from developed countries is a MUST.

Let’s see how the government to materialize the vision.