“As chairman of the Implementation and Coordination Committee (ICC) for ECER Pahang, I will ensure that SEZ initiatives will be fasttracked and approved expeditiously and provided with all the necessary support from the state departments and agencies to make the ECER SEZ a success.

“In addition, the state will also support ECER SEZ by making ample land available for potential investors and will reduce the premium for the land to facilitate initial capital outlay by the investors.”

The Chief Minister considers Pahang, the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, suitable for Malaysia’s first SEZ as it brings economies of scale, as “the area already contains mature industrial activity in manufacturing and industrial development especially with a focus on oil, gas, petrochemical industries in this region. Some of the largest companies in the world have set their base in this part of the region including BASF, BP and Daimler Chrysler.”

Part of the effort to encourage the relocation of companies to the SEZ Focus Nodes to spur economic development, the state is implementing competitive utilities tariffs.

Eligible companies may be designated ‘ECER Status’. The Chief Minister says this is an assurance of commitment “to both local and foreign investors who will be contributing to the ECER’s socio-economic development”.

“Being an ‘ECER Status’ company immediately opens up a multitude of benefits, including specialized ECER incentives, facilitation in loan applications from financial institutions, conditional usage of the ECER logo, fast tracking of incentive applications and the unlimited hiring of skilled expatriates and knowledge workers.

In comparison to other SEZs, these incentives are very much similar if not better. However incentives are not major factor for industrialist wanting to locate in the East Coast. Good infrastructure, consistent pro business policies, and a good living and working environment are more important.

“In ECER SEZ”,Dato Adnan stresses, “there is no restriction on employment. The priority for jobs will be given to local workers, while unlimited expatriate knowledge workers for management positions can be brought in to fill positions which they are better qualified for.” However he said there will be a mandatory portion of local employment required to ensure transfer of technology and employment of skilled labor from the educational institutions in the region.