JOHOR BARU: Putrajaya has recalibrated the way national development is conceived and executed — by listening first to the states instead of dictating from the centre, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
He warned that top-down assumptions -belonged to an era Malaysia has outgrown.
Speaking at the launch of the Gemas–Johor Baru Electrified Double-Tracking Project, Anwar said the new federal approach ensured development plans were shaped according to real needs on the ground, not paperwork fantasy.
Johor, he said, stood as proof of what happens when national and state administrations move in tandem.
Johor’s investment performance, he said, had been so strong that potential investments were expected to surpass RM100 billion — a new record that reflected investor confidence in both the state’s momentum and the stability of the national economy under the Madani framework.
“This is the outcome of listening — of respecting state priorities and aligning national plans with local realities,” he said.
“It marks a major shift from past practices where federal assumptions drove everything.”
Anwar said Malaysia–Singapore relations were now at their “strongest in years,” with the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) poised to attract high-value investors in technology, logistics, advanced manufacturing and new energy.
His recent working visit to Singapore, he said, focused on accelerating this cross-border economic engine.
He said modern transport networks — including the newly operational double-tracking project — must serve as catalysts, not trophies.
Each station along the line, he added, would anchor new commercial activity through transit-oriented development that integrates economic centres, housing, food courts, small-business spaces and community facilities.
“This is not just rail engineering. It is an economic strategy,” he said.
“Every station must become a growth hub that creates jobs and protects opportunities for small traders.”
He stressed that mega-projects only succeed when benefits flow beyond the headlines and reach ordinary Malaysians, echoing his earlier caution that development without trickle-down effects would breed anxiety and resentment on the ground.
Anwar said federal–state coordination was now embedded into policy-making for the upcoming 13th Malaysia Plan, with several federal priorities already adjusted after input from Johor — a model he called essential to democratic governance.
“No federal or state government has all the answers. Listening is our obligation,” he said.
The prime minister also hailed the Gemas–JB line as a model of disciplined execution and modernisation, saying the project symbolised both Johor’s rise and Malaysia’s broader economic renewal.
“This is a proud moment for Johor, and for the nation,” he said, thanking Tunku Mahkota Ismail, the Regent of Johor, for presiding over the ceremony.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
