Tiong to meet S’wak-Sabah leaders over MM2H programme autonomy

KUCHING: Federal Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing assured that he will meet with the Sarawak Premier and Sabah Chief Minister to discuss the autonomy of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.

This statement follows a series of disputes and clarifications involving Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.

“I have reiterated many times that Sabah and Sarawak will have autonomy in the MM2H programme.

“I will meet with the Chief Minister of Sabah and the Premier of Sarawak soon to discuss this further.

“In the meantime, I advise Liew to exercise patience and focus on her duties. The people will appreciate her dedication,” he said in a Facebook post.

Tiong, in the statement, said Liew’s claim that the MM2H programme was not discussed contradicts the official minutes.

As such, he suggested that Liew’s absence might indicate a lack of understanding of her responsibilities or a focus on personal matters over professional duties.

He also urged Liew to attend these meetings personally or ensure her representatives do so diligently.

“In the meeting held last November, representatives from all states discussed tourism funding, the 2026 Visit Malaysia Year, and the MM2H programme.

“It is important to have experienced officers present at such meetings to avoid wasting time,” stressed Tiong.

Liew, in a statement on Monday (June 10), refuted Tiong’s claims that she never attended meetings to discuss issues pertaining to the MM2H programme.

She stated that she personally attended a meeting in Putrajaya on May 11 of last year and sent representatives to other meetings when she was unavailable.

“Of the five meetings, Tiong only chaired three, while the other two were chaired by the ministry’s secretary-general and the Tourism Ministry deputy minister, respectively.

“According to my ministry’s reports, none of the five meetings ever discussed the MM2H programme.

“We (the Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Ministry) were never invited to any meeting specifically to discuss the programme,” she was quoted as saying.

In this regard, Liew reiterated that Sabah will move forward with its own Sabah-MM2H programme.

She said that both Sabah and Sarawak have specific conditions for their programmes, echoing the sentiments of Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“We (Sabah) will proceed accordingly,” she added.