KOTA KINABALU: The state has finally received the green light to implement its own Sabah Malaysia My Second Home (Sabah-MM2H) programme with immediate effect.
This comes after Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment (KePKAS) Minister Datuk Christina Liew (pic) and Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing cleared up misunderstandings between them over the issue last month.
Liew had met up with Tiong in Kuala Lumpur, where they exchanged views on managing the MM2H and discussed the Sabah-MM2H matter, among other things.
“Tiong has agreed to empower Sabah with our foreign residency programme after our meeting,” she said in a statement yesterday.
“This means Sabah can come up with its own terms and conditions for Sabah-MM2H,” she said, adding Sabah is allowed to process applications and issue the Sabah-MM2H pass to successful applicants.
Liew said while the revised terms and regulations for new participants under the MM2H (Malaysia) programme would serve as guidelines, Sabah would not be bound by them.
She said Sabah would appoint its own committee to study the terms and conditions of the Sabah-MM2H programme and her ministry would be tasked with appointing representatives to handle participants’ applications.
At the meeting, Tiong provided reassurance that the enforcement task would be delegated to Sabah, allowing the state to develop its own measures, she said.
Liew said to facilitate the transition, existing MM2H companies previously licensed by Motac have to get a special licence from the state ministry and comply with the Sabah-MM2H terms and conditions if they wish to switch to Sabah-MM2H.
She said the meeting with Motac was “good” as both parties were able to clear the air on this matter and clarify several terms and conditions for participation.
Over the past month, KePKAS and Motac have run into arguments with their ministers, going back and forth on the implementation of the MM2H and Sabah MM2H programmes.
Motac initiated the issue by issuing a circular on May 27 to all licensed agents handling MM2H applications, including those in Sabah and Sarawak, instructing them to cease their operations.
KePKAS then wrote to Motac the following day, detailing its preparations to launch the Sabah-MM2H programme.
On May 31, Motac replied, stating that no one was allowed to process new applications for Sabah-MM2H until further notice.
Liew criticised the move and said that Sabah would continue with its Sabah MM2H programme with or without the federal nod, resulting in Tiong defending the action and blaming Liew for not attending meetings on this programme.
Sabah proceeded with the launch of its Sabah MM2H programme on June 30, with official applications open as of July 1.
Motac released another statement on July 4, stating that it had never received or approved any criteria for the state-launched Sabah MM2H programme.
Motac said that the decision to launch Sabah MM2H with the criteria mentioned was done without consultation with Motac.
