Sabah urged to adjust SMM2H programme to follow new federal framework

The ministry said it was not informed of and had not approved the criteria set for the state’s MM2H programme.

(FMT) – The tourism minister says his ministry will soon delegate authority on the matter to the Sabah government.

Tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing has urged Sabah to adjust its Sabah Malaysia My Second Home (SMM2H) programme according to Putrajaya’s framework for the federal MM2H programme.

Tiong said in a statement today that once his ministry finalises, verifies and signs off on the state’s SMM2H regulations, it will delegate all authority on the matter to the Sabah government in a move expected within the next week.

“The ministry held a special meeting (yesterday) with Sabah’s tourism, culture and environment minister Christina Liew to discuss Sabah’s version of the MM2H programme.

“The meeting aimed to explore and scrutinise various terms and regulations to find solutions that ensure a win-win situation for both the federal and Sabah governments,” he said.

Tiong said Sabah had earlier suspended its SMM2H programme, initially slated for launch on June 1, due to the nationwide termination of agency licences.

Earlier this month, Tiong’s ministry denied that the SMM2H programme, which began accepting applications on July 1, had received federal approval.

The ministry said it was not informed of and had not approved the criteria set for the state’s MM2H programme.

It said the state’s tourism, culture, and environment ministry had set the conditions unilaterally without consulting the federal ministry.