Pasir Gudang to be upgraded to city status, says MB

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Pasir Gudang, whose airspace is a subject of dispute between Malaysia and Singapore, will be upgraded to a city this year.

Mentri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian said Pasir Gudang, whose development Malaysia argued would be affected by the flight path to Seletar Airport in Singapore, had met all the criteria to be upgraded to a city.

This, he said, included having a population of over 300,000 residents.

“Pasir Gudang has been developing for quite some time now and it has the potential to grow further when we name it as our third city this year.

“The upgrading process is currently underway and pretty soon, we will see high-rise development in Pasir Gudang,” he said after launching the Iskandar Malaysia Food Court here yesterday.

With the upgrade in status, Pasir Gudang will be the third city after Johor Baru and Iskandar Puteri in the state.

Last month, Malaysia had wanted Singapore to withdraw its plan to implement the Instrument Landing System (ILS) or change the flight route to Seletar Airport.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said that the flight route would affect development in Pasir Gudang because it would limit the height of infrastructure in the area.

Malaysia will meet Singapore over the issue tomorrow.

Of the dispute, Osman said the state government did not need to seek blessings from Singapore for any of its development projects.

“This is our state, our rights, and if we want to develop our state, why must Singapore intervene?

“But as a neighbour, we should at least get their opinion in any of our projects (and) have a discussion,” he said.

Osman said he would get more details on the airspace dispute during a meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow.

He said both he and Economics Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali had also scheduled a meeting with Singapore to discuss the economic agenda for both countries on Jan 13 and 14.

“Although this issue is not part of the agenda, I will try to get feedback from our Singaporean counterpart on this matter,” he said.