Abd Karim: S’wak will provide land to facilitate MM2H under new regulation

KUCHING (July 13): Sarawak will provide small plots of land to facilitate the implementation of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme under a new regulation, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

The Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts highlighted the measure is crucial due to the high deposit requirements under the regulation and noted if similar regulations from the Peninsula were applied in Sarawak, it would take time to attract participants to the programme.

“Therefore, we need to secure the land first. Once we have a small plot, I will present it to the Cabinet for approval.

“We will then start issuing permits based on terms and conditions suitable for Sarawak. We will not set a fixed deposit amount like Peninsula,” he said during the launch of the ‘Freedom to Own’ campaign at the Naim Sales Gallery here today.

Abdul Karim said on July 1, the federal government through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, had delegated all authority to the state with regards to MM2H.

“We will handle the processing and issuing of permits. We will not adhere to all the federal conditions for the Malaysia My Second Home programme. This delegation of power was done recently and somewhat in a rush,” he said.

He said there has been significant pressure, as many agencies or companies handle the MM2H programe and their permits had not been renewed since Oct or Nov last year.

“These permits are issued annually — those whose permits expired have not had them extended, leading to a lot of uncertainty. After discussions with federal Minister of Tourism and Culture (Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing) and Sarawak Premier (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg), we have finally received the delegation of power.

“This means we are now authorised to issue the licences. The federal ministry will no longer handle this, and the terms and conditions for the Sarawak MM2H programme will be decided by us after thorough consideration,” he said.