The Johor elections have recently ended as Barisan Nasional (BN) had a winning streak in recent elections by winning 40 seats and a two-thirds majority. However, some of the districts won by BN are still underdeveloped. Here are 5 Things BN Needs To Do After Winning The Johor State Elections.
SG-MY Development
As of 2015, Singapore is Malaysia’s biggest trade partner, with Johor enjoying the closest bilateral relations with Singapore as neighbors sharing the same natural resources such as water.
Conversely, Singapore’s biggest trading partners are China, Hong Kong, followed then by Malaysia. However, as neighbors, Johor is working on joint projects with Singapore such as the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System which will allow people to travel freely between the two countries.
To foster this relationship, BN should continue to work with Singapore for the development of our relationship with them. One avenue that should be considered is the standard operating procedures (SOP) for those commuting between countries daily as reopening the borders will only help boost the economy and tourism sector.
District Development
BN has won the state's election and with it, most of the district. However, most of it is underdeveloped and needs attention to generate more business and traffic.
This should be done through the use of more shop lots, residential areas, and malls. With this, Mohamed Khaled, who is also former Johor Menteri Besar has stated that one of the focal points for BN would be on making the Muar district into the national furniture hub.
He mentioned that BN will develop the economy of all districts, and, in the past, they already had an economic development plan for each district. With their development plans ready for each district, BN should help their development and further strengthen Johor’s economy as a result.
Estate Development
BN has stated in their five-point plan that actions will be taken to help the state prosper. Part of that would be estate development.
To address the issue of housing that people in Johor might face, BN has elected to strengthen the states’ housing governance. This includes the establishment of the Johor Housing Board.
BN should continue the development of estate in the areas that are already going through district development. This is as adding more residential areas will generate traffic for these underdeveloped districts.
Economy Development
Part of BN’s five-point plan is to restore Johor’s economic power. To address this, BN has stated that the implementation of nine measures through the Johor Berdaya Saing (Johor Capable of Competing) initiative will happen.
Furthermore, the coalition comprising Umno, MCA, and MIC have planned the development of socio-economic opportunities in the ten districts of Johor. Projects to do so include the aforementioned desire to turn Muar into a furniture hub, along with developing the Batu
Pahat Barter Trade Port, establishing the Maharani Energy Gateway and making Johor Baru an international trade center through the development of the Ibrahim International Business District.
Johorean Wellfare
The second initiative in the five-point plan by BN is to bridge the economic and income gap of target groups. Johor BN had stated that they wanted to ensure that the state had a zero percent of hardcore poor by 2025.
This would be done with the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) approach. This includes the annual financial aid of RM150 for each primary and secondary school student from families with monthly income between RM3,000 and RM7,000.
Furthermore, the cost of childcare will be reduced with the expansion of the Yayasan Pembangunan Keluarga Darul Takzim nurseries. Alongside this, Johor BN pledged to integrate the Bus Rapid Transit, Rapid Transit System, and Light Rail Transit under one management to increase the mobility of the people.