KUCHING, Nov 19: The Sarawak government is considering the classification of admission category for foreigners seeking to reside in Sarawak under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.
Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China Dato Sri Tiong King Sing raised the MM2H issue during a courtesy call on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan at his office here yesterday.
Highlighting that the current MM2H programme has resulted in a mixed bag of applications without clear rules for each applicant group, Tiong advised against an erratic approach toward the MM2H programme aimed at attracting foreign retirees to move to the country.
“The Sarawak government is thus considering categorising the applicants into designated categories for purposes such as retirement, education, medical tourism, and investment.
“There can also be customised packages for the purchase of properties in different regions or locations to make it more convenient for participants to look for permanent residence at a specific price range,” he said in a statement today.
According to the Bintulu MP, Awang Tengah has agreed with the proposals in principle, while adding that the entire application process must be simplified to avoid cumbersome red tape with the cooperation of all parties involved.
Awang Tengah also emphasised the need to create an environment that is attractive and convenient to bring in more economic investment that would contribute to Sarawak’s development.
“The Sarawak government will also regulate applicants in a specific group according to the area they have applied to invest in.
“These should apply to industries of a certain value and with a certain amount of medical coverage as part of the requirements for this applicant group,” added Awang Tengah.
Touching on Sarawak’s immigration autonomy, both agreed that it could also be a factor in determining the eligibility of MM2H applicants to make Sarawak their second home with consideration to grant permanent residency for those investing in the industry of a certain value.
However, the details would need to be further ironed out based on discussions with the relevant stakeholders before a final decision can be made.
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development, also affirmed China as an important partner with great potential for cooperation.
“The Sarawak government hopes to invite more Chinese higher education institutions to establish in Sarawak to deepen academic cooperation.
“On the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two countries can further cooperate on medical development with the merging of Chinese and Western medicines. This exchange may also accelerate the number of MM2H applicants from China,” he added.
Awang Tengah gave assurance that both Sarawak and the federal government will discuss further the application conditions for MM2H, including financial capacities, conditions for property purchases and others. — DayakDaily
