IDR Project Close To Abdullah's Heart

OSAKA, May 26 (Bernama) -- The Iskandar Development Region (IDR) has piqued the interest of the Japanese, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi relentlessly taking every opportunity to promote the southern corridor project during his trip to the country.Abdullah, who ended his five-day working visit to Japan yesterday, would touch on the IDR subject at just about every forum and meetings with groups to make the audiences aware of the viability of the project and the countless opportunities it spawns.A Malaysian diplomat said Abdullah's effort has shown that Malaysia is eager to draw a broad base of investors into the area instead of depending too much on Singapore as many quarters have presumed.Abdullah had briefed his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe who described the project in southern Johor as a "brilliant idea" during their bilateral meet.Abe then had given his personal undertaking to inform Japanese companies to get them to invest in the project.Abdullah also had conveyed information on IDR to Japan's top private sector leaders and the efforts turned out to be fruitful as they had expressed their interest in the project.In view of the interest shown by the Japanese, Abdullah has proposed that Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the project's driver, come to Japan to promote and explain the proposed dynamic growth region to the Japanese investment community.The IDR is a 2,217 sq km area that sprawls across several districts including Johor Baharu, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Pontian and is just across the causeway from Singapore.Khazanah Nasional, as the government's investment agency, is developing it along the lines of the dynamic growth being experienced by Shenzhen in China which is adjacent to Hong Kong.For Abdullah, IDR is one area where Malaysia and Japan can cooperate further after 50 years of progressive relations.He said there are many areas which have yet to be explored beyond the 25-year-old Look East Policy, under which about 14,000 Malaysians had benefited in pursuing their education in Japan, as well as workers who had received advanced training in Japan where they were also exposed to Japanese work ethics.As a gesture of the warm bilateral relations, Abdullah had extended two invitations to Abe -- an official visit to Malaysia and another to attend the country's Merdeka Day celebrations on Aug 31.There were also some good values of Japan that had impressed Abdullah which he wishes Malaysians could emulate. For one, he was obviously impressed with the Japanese' strong culture of maintenance and civic consciousness.Abdullah is also hopeful that Malaysia could intensify efforts to develop alternative energy sources, especially solar power, by emulating Japan in this field.