I don’t know about you…

But every time I cycle or run in Iskandar, I ask myself the same question :

Why Iskandar still cannot take off after nearly 20 years?

Since the launch of the Iskandar Malaysia economic corridor in 2006, expectations were sky high.

The logic was solid:
✅ Strategic location near Singapore
✅ Mega projects with global developers
✅ New highways, causeways,
✅ Ambitious goals for growth

But somehow… still kosong. Still waiting.

My Trips to Iskandar? All Sweat, No Chill.
I don’t go to Iskandar to makan.
I don’t go there to jalan-jalan.
I only go to suffer … cycling, half marathons, or triathlon events under the blazing sun.

I remember a ride from Eco Botanic to Gelang Patah … perfect roads and wide lanes. Sounds great?

Back in the early 2010s, Iskandar was hot.

Foreign investors poured in. Chinese developers like Country Garden, R&F, and Greenland.

But then came policy shifts in 2014.
China’s capital controls in 2017.
COVID-19. US–China trade war.
Malaysia’s own cooling measures.

Boom became ….

Projects stalled. Units unsold. Oversupply everywhere.

JB earned its name as one of Malaysia’s worst property surplus markets last few years

What’s next for Iskandar?

With the Johor–Singapore Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and Special Financial Zone (SFZ) in place, the fire is on.

But can we do it right this time?

My honest take?
Iskandar has all the “hardware”.
But still missing the “soul”.

Hopefully one day, I’ll cycle there…
And actually want to stop.
Makan. Lepak.

But until then sweat in, sweat out.
Then balik JB.