Speaking on the “Keluar Sekejap” podcast, Onn Hafiz acknowledged accusations that his surprise visits amounted to micromanagement, but said they were necessary because the reports he received often differed from reality.

“Most of the time, the reports I receive on paper and what is actually happening on the ground are two different things,” he said.

He cited congestion at the Johor-Singapore customs, immigration and quarantine complex as an example of a longstanding problem affecting hundreds of thousands of commuters daily.

Onn Hafiz said while he understood some would feel uncomfortable with his visits to agencies, hospitals and infrastructure sites, personally going to the ground had produced visible improvements.

He said leaders should not publicly reprimand officers to humiliate them. “What matters is that we genuinely seek to resolve issues raised by the people,” he said.

Onn Hafiz also outlined Johor’s broader development philosophy, describing it as a “low-cost, high-impact” approach aimed at ensuring public spending delivers meaningful benefits.

He said while Johor often benchmarked itself against neighbouring Singapore, development spending must remain realistic and impactful.

Projects undertaken by the state government must deliver tangible benefits instead of becoming costly initiatives with limited public impact, he said, pointing to Johor Zoo and Muzium Tokoh Kepimpinan Johor as examples of relatively modest investments that generated public benefits.