Sarawak to continue with MM2H programme

Sarawak says it will continue to offer the Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) programme to foreigners despite the federal government’s decision to suspend the programme until year-end.

State Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said interested candidates were welcome to apply, adding that they should comply with the new regulations and requirements that came into effect on Sept 1.

“The S-MM2H programme will not be affected by the federal government’s suspension of the MM2H programme,” he said in a press conference to announce the enhanced S-MM2H regulations and requirements in Kuching today.

He said MM2H was temporarily suspended as the federal tourism, arts and culture ministry needed to review and reevaluate the programme which began in 2002.

“As part of the response to post-Covid-19 recovery, Sarawak needs to actively continue to diversify its tourism beyond leisure tourism by looking at the potential of S-MM2H in recent years to bring in quality visitors,” he added.

He said the global outbreak of Covid-19, coupled with the enforcement of movement restrictions and border control had caused a sharp drop in travel and leisure activities, resulting in an unprecedented impact on Sarawak’s tourism sector.

“The promotion of high-yield quality tourism like through the S-MM2H programme for longer stays will certainly benefit the tourism sector in Sarawak through the potential expenditure revenue and residential investment,” he said.

Karim added that the ministry expects 1,000 new S-MM2H participants, generating an estimated RM8.34 million in revenue and RM31 million in investments by 2030.

“The newly revised S-MM2H programme will certainly benefit all stakeholders, in particular through the use of registered agents to create new jobs and boost economic growth in Sarawak,” he said.