Johor to redevelop idle, underutilised govt land, buildings

JOHOR BARU: The Johor state government plans to rejuvenate and redevelop idle and underutilised government land and buildings through public-private partnership (PPP) model as part of the Johor Baru transformation programme.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said while there has been track record of PPPs in these areas, there were still many other opportunities to be explored.
"For example, there is a need for new PPP projects and developments in the areas of low-carbon, smart growth, renewable energy and other related green-oriented," he said at the PPP Conference 2014 here.
The text of his speech was read by Johor's State Secretary Datuk Ismail Karim.
Mohamed Khaled, who is also co-chairman of Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), said there was also an increasing need for social-focused PPPs in the areas of affordable housing, education, healthcare, youth development and other public facilities.
"We need the private sector to come forward with their innovative ideas and international expertise together with a workable PPP that can be jointly developed between the government and private sector," he said.
Khaled said Iskandar Malaysia and the Johor state government welcomed and encouraged private sector investments in PPP projects that would provide critical infrastructure and services for the benefit of the rakyat.
He cited examples of the PPP projects succesfully implemented in Johor such as expressways – PLUS Expressways, Malaysia-Singapore Second Crossing (better known as the Second Link), Senai-Desaru Expressway and the Eastern Dispersal Link, as well as airport and port infrastructures such as Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Senai International Airport.
"The PPP projects that are currently in the pipeline for Iskandar Malaysia include the much-needed Bus Rapid Transit project which would help boost the public transportation system within Iskandar Malaysia," he said.
The PPP conference 2014, which is jointly organised by IRDA and Johor Economic Planning Unit, attracted over 300 participants from both the public and private sectors. – Bernama