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[KUALA LUMPUR] Active Malaysian hubs such as Penang, Kulim and Klang Valley could stand to gain from the surge of activity driven by the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which promises to expand the nation’s pie rather than divide it.

“Rather than competing, regions like Penang, Kulim and the JS-SEZ will complement each other, creating a robust network of supply chains that attract multinational investments,” Penang-based Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association president Wong Siew Hai told The Business Times.

He was commenting on whether the JS-SEZ could steal the thunder from other states in terms of wooing investments, given its proximity to Singapore as well as the string of incentives in the newly launched zone to sweeten its proposition.

Singapore and Malaysia signed a joint agreement on the JS-SEZ in January during a retreat by Prime Ministers Lawrence Wong and Anwar Ibrahim.

“Johor isn’t competing with other states. It is enlarging Malaysia’s economic cake,” said Lee Heng Guie, executive director of the Socio-Economic Research Centre.