Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remark on the Forest City development in the state can be likened to his questioning the country's immigration policy.

"Don't tell me people who buy apartments are entitled to citizenship. That's an untruth to frighten the people of Johor," he said to reporters after a visit to the Parit Sulong parliamentary constituency.

Mahathir had reportedly claimed that 700,000 Chinese nationals would be brought to Johor under the project and given Malaysian citizenship.

Mohamed Khaled said the Forest City project that cost USD100 billion (about RM444 billion) was not 100 percent owned by companies from China but had a local equity of 42 percent.

"The Forest City development on reclaimed land was only 0.01 percent the size of the state of Johor," he said.

Mohamed Khaled said the mega project was significant for the continued development of Johor and for it to compete with Singapore.

"Don't tell me Johor has to remain the backyard of Singapore forever. We need huge investments, and these will open opportunities for Johor to become a centre for trade, finance, business and so on," he said.

He said the project was not focused on the Chinese market alone but the whole world.

- Bernama