With the PCA, many with jobs in Singapore, but were required to stay in the country for three months at a time, struggled to meet the costs of accommodation and food.3 With Malaysia’s economy put on hold due to Covid-19, and even small and micro-businesses not being allowed to operate during the first MCO, there was little avenue for former commuters to find work in Malaysia. [...] Figure 1 below outlines the framework of the problems affecting Johor, illustrating the causes and consequences of the economic issues that arose as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. [...] Johor’s high-end condominiums and landed property10 were thus in even less demand, and the situation has been made worse with some Singaporean home-owners trying to sell their Johor properties given the difficulties of crossing the border.11 The Covid-19 period, with the myriad restrictions on retailers and service providers, registered as the worst in Johor since the 1987 financial crisis. [...] 65 ISSN 2335-6677 Over the first MCO period, at least RM6,614,062 (SGD2,179,361) was spent by 30 civil society groups in aid of the rural and urban poor in Johor Bahru.27 This was in addition to efforts by agencies such as the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and the state government to find safe shelter and to provide other support for the homeless and others in need. [...] The launch of the Johor Economic Tourism and Cultural Office (JETCO) in Singapore by mid- 2021 is slated to increase investor confidence, in addition to other economic initiatives such as the establishment of the Ibrahim Johor Economic Council and the revival of the Singapore- Johor-Riau Growth Triangle Development (SIJO-Kepri).38 Johor also has plans to enhance its agricultural sector with a view.
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- Singapore
