Sabah gains full control over MM2H programme after ministerial spat

News Date:  July 19, 2024

Media : Daily Express

Kota Kinabalu: After a public spat between its ministers, it has been decided that the federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac), will delegate full authority of the Sabah-Malaysia My Second Home (Sabah-MM2H) programme to the state.

Motac minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing had agreed to empower the state with its foreign residency programme after meeting with Sabah’s Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Christina Liew in Kuala Lumpur today according to a statement by the latter.

“This means Sabah can come up with its own terms and conditions for Sabah-MM2H.

“We will be empowered to process applications and issue the MM2H pass to successful applicants.

“And I was assured that the enforcement task would be passed to us so that we could come up with our version,” Liew said.

She said the two had exchanged views on managing MM2H and Sabah-MM2H.

Liew said Sabah has a state committee to oversee the Sabah-MM2H programme.

“My ministry will appoint representatives to handle participants’ applications,” she said.

To facilitate the transition, existing MM2H companies previously licensed by Motac have to get a special license from the state ministry and comply with Sabah-MM2H terms and conditions if they wish to switch to Sabah-MM2H.

While conceding that the revised terms and regulations for new participants under the MM2H (Malaysia) programme will serve as guidelines, Liew said Sabah will not be bound by it.

“Sabah will appoint its own committee to study the terms and conditions of the Sabah-MM2H Programme.

“However, it was a good meeting between Motac and the state where several terms and conditions for participation were cleared.

“We hope there will be more discourse on the programme from time to time,” said Liew.

Both she and Tiong had a public spat a few weeks ago when she accused Motac of cancelling the MM2H agent’s licenses which threw the Sabah MM2H launching plans for a loop.

Tiong had accused her of not attending ministry meetings and Liew said that the state will go ahead with its plans to implement the programme without federal ministry approval.