This trend is set to continue or increase over the next three or four year, said state housing and local government committee chairman Jafni Shukor.

“Many unsold properties over the past four years have been sold.

“For example, in Forest City, which people called a ‘ghost town’, many people do not know that 70% of the properties there have been sold.

“This is also true for Country Garden and the surrounding areas of Johor Bahru,” he told reporters after a Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house at Hutan Bandar Kulai here today.

Jafni was asked to comment on the number of properties sold in Forest City so far.

He said the state government was committed to addressing the issue of unsold properties.

On another matter, he said the state government’s initiative to enhance the efficiency of work processes and governance to reduce red tape or bureaucracy in the government delivery system could prove to be a catalyst for further progress.

This could be seen through a recent statement by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who expected Johor to become the most developed state in Malaysia following the implementation of several high-impact projects.

He said this was true as Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi had engaged actively with investors from Singapore and China to obtain fresh investments.

Last Thursday, Anwar said he expected the Johor-Singapore special economic zone and the special financial zone in Forest City to drive Johor’s economy to surpass other states within the next one to two years.