The Star interviews Datuk Mohd Noorazam Osman, the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA).
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00:00Iskandar Malaysia burst onto the scene in 2006 with grand ambitions and ceremonial fanfare.
00:07Over the past 19 years, this bold initiative has been instrumental in transforming Southern Johor into a formidable economic powerhouse.
00:16Today, as the newly formed Johor Singapore Special Economic Zone takes shape,
00:21we sit down with former Johor Bahru City Council Mayor Datuk Mohamad Nurazam Osman,
00:27the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority, IRDA.
00:57Now, the state can work with federal government to come up with the Iskandar Malaysia agenda.
01:02Now, with the new narrative that's being added on, which is the Johor Singapore Special Economic Zone,
01:09I think this is one of the best things that I should be part of,
01:14because this time around is a very strong commitment between two countries to develop an economic zone,
01:20which was not really happening before.
01:23So that's why I think I take this as a challenge to lead IRDA and of course be part of the JSSCZ narrative.
01:34So all the while, we've been saying that IRDA is not really achieving its goal,
01:44original goal as what we are talking about,
01:47but I think that people don't really understand that actually Iskandar Malaysia has brought a lot of value-added things as well,
01:54without people realising, especially we being the federal government agency,
01:59which continues to value-add what the state or the local authority or the district office does at the ground level.
02:09With this new narrative, with the JSSCZ being there,
02:13I think IRDA continues to play its role to help to facilitate investment.
02:18I use the word facilitate, I don't say promotion because that's not our job.
02:22I'm being very clear that promotional activities is actually MAIDA and MITI's job.
02:29So we are there to facilitate investments.
02:32In a way, facilitate also means a bit of promotion,
02:36because you give advice, you also guide them and facilitate throughout getting approvals and things like that.
02:44So I think this is where the ease of doing business is key as one of the agendas that we need to fulfil.
02:56I think the success story, if we fulfil this, that will be the success story of the JSSCZ and Iskandar as well.
03:03You see, Singapore is the global hub for many MNCs and companies of the world.
03:14So if they start moving this way because of comparative advantage in terms of cost of doing business, ease of doing business,
03:23I do think that we hope to also facilitate Malaysian companies, local companies,
03:32who will be ready to be part of that supply chain.
03:35The key takeaways from this JSSCZ is our role in facilitating under IMFCJ,
03:43Iskandar Malaysia Facilitation Centre Johor.
03:46IMFC is something that is being created by MAIDA at the federal level.
03:52But that only helps to coordinate approvals for federal agencies.
03:57It does not get into state.
03:59But IMFCJ, you include state agencies as well as local authorities for facilitation.
04:06So if this becomes a success, this will become the model for the country.
04:11Because then all states can actually have their own IMFC.
04:15And we not only get investors to come there, of course if it's a normal thing, we also facilitate locals.
04:25I think as a Johorean and also being somebody coming from the state and now heading IRDA,
04:35I would like to see IRDA to be more localized in terms of its agenda,
04:43in terms of its project that really get the locals to really feel what we are bringing to them.
04:50And I think the public needs to know.
04:53Many people don't really know what IRDA is as well.
04:58Because IRDA is an authority.
05:01But it's an authority which is given power to coordinate and facilitate.
05:06Not to approve.
05:08So people don't really come to like... Approval is at the magistrate level.
05:13State then office and things like that.
05:15But we are there to facilitate.
05:17And we are supposed to work cross-boundary between agencies
05:22to establish the ease of doing business and streamlining process,
05:28helping to value-add the government process to bring it to a certain level.