JOHOR BAHRU: Johor’s caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has criticised the federal government for delays of the launch of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) master plan, arguing that it is needed to sustain the initiative’s momentum. In response, Economic Minister Akmal Nasir, who oversees the project at the federal level, has maintained that the government remains committed to the project’s success and the delays have not impacted the JS-SEZ as investor numbers have remained strong. The comments have come amid intense campaigning for the Jul 11 Johor state elections, in which Onn Hafiz is leading Barisan Nasional’s (BN) charge to retain its rule of the state government. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) pact is BN’s main challenger in Johor, even though the two coalitions are allies under the federal unity government. Akmal, who is also Member of Parliament for Johor Bahru, is a member of Anwar’s party - Parti Keadilan Rakyat - within PH. In a statement released on Thursday (Jul 2), Onn Hafiz said that the JS-SEZ master plan was originally scheduled to be launched at the end of 2025, but this was later rescheduled for Mar 30, 2026. “It has now been postponed once again,” he wrote. “The master plan does not need to wait until the Leaders' Retreat at the end of this year to be launched, as it does not require the approval of the Singapore Government. In fact, the relevant agencies from Singapore, Malaysia, and Johor have already provided their input and feedback,” Onn Hafiz added. He was referring to the annual Leaders’ Retreat between Anwar and his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong.Onn Hafiz, a Machap state assemblyman, stressed that the matter “should not be delayed any further”. “It concerns providing certainty for investors, as well as setting out the direction for key sectors, investment zones, incentives, infrastructure, talent development, and coordination among agencies,” he added.