PUTRAJAYA – The government will not approve any licence for a casino in Forest City, Johor, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today in response to a report that early discussions on the matter were being held.
“Not true, they raised the issue of a casino licence. ‘Tiada, tipu’ (no such thing, not true),” Anwar said to reporters at a government Hari Raya celebration by the Communications Ministry and the Housing and Local Government Ministry, here, today.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, was asked about a Bloomberg report that he had met Berjaya Corp and Genting Group’s top chiefs on the possible development of a casino in Forest City in Iskandar Puteri as part of boosting economic development in the area.
Bloomberg’s report this morning said Anwar had met Berjaya founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan and the Genting Group’s Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay last week to discuss the opening of a casino in Forest City, which is said to be struggling to attract property buyers and investors.
Citing unnamed sources familiar with the talks, Bloomberg also said a representative of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, who is Johor’s ruler, had also been present, as the King is a shareholder in the joint venture with China firm Country Garden as Forest City’s master developer.
The beleaguered US$100-billion (RM480-billion) project, which began in 2006, has been dubbed a “white elephant” by some media.
In August last year, Anwar said Forest City would be made into a special financial zone, which along with the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone would give Malaysia a competitive advantage in attracting foreign investments. – April 25, 2024