COMMENT | With the conclusion of the Johor state election on July 11, my hope as a former policymaker is that the federal and Johor state governments can put their focus back on aligning policies related to the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JSSEZ).

More than a year since Malaysia and Singapore signed the JSSEZ agreement, it is clear to me that there needs to be some significant adjustments on the part of the federal and state governments to make the planning and execution of the JSSEZ a success.

One of these key elements is to make the Johor state government an equal partner in the planning and execution of these policies.

First, the JSSEZ masterplan, which was supposed to...