SABAH Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew has denied accusations that her party was absent from meetings arranged by the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry (Motac) to discuss the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.
She said she attended a meeting on May 11 last year in Putrajaya, chaired by minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing himself, and that her representatives had attended all subsequent meetings.
"On occasions when I was not available, I sent representatives to attend other meetings called by Motac.
“On November 6, 2023, my deputy permanent secretary and a Sabah Tourism Board (STB) senior research officer attended the second meeting.
“Similarly, the deputy permanent secretary I and the principal assistant secretary were present at the third meeting on November 14, 2023.
“The then permanent secretary attended the fourth meeting on December 19, 2023, and deputy permanent secretary i, the principal assistant secretary, and STB senior research officer were present at the fifth meeting on January 16 this year," she said in a statement.
Liew said Tiong chaired two of the five meetings, while the remainder were chaired by the Motac secretary-general and the Motac deputy minister, respectively.
“None of the five meetings discussed MM2H programmes,” she said in response to Tiong’s accusations that her party was rarely seen at the meetings.
"In fact, we were never invited to any meeting specifically to discuss the programme," Liew said.
Liew said the Sabah-MM2H programme was approved by the Sabah cabinet in 2023, and the procedures were completed in May 2024.
"For each of our meetings in Sabah on this matter, my ministry invited Sabah Motac, the Immigration Department, police, and Internal Affairs Office (in the Chief Minister's Department) to attend.
“We were already set to launch the programme on June 1, 2024, but Motac suspended the operations of all licensed agents in processing new applications with immediate effect on May 27," she said.
Liew said the decision caught many stakeholders by surprise, particularly agents, purchasers, potential investors, and the Sabah government as Motac never notified the state of its action.
Furthermore, she said Motac remains adamant with its decision despite Sabah appealing for an exemption to keep the launching date of the Sabah-MM2H on June 1.
Liew mentioned that Motac had also notified in its appeal that it will proceed with the launch as planned even if it does not have clearance from the Federal Ministry.
She said Sabah will now proceed with the launch of the programme, as Sabah and Sarawak have different policies and therefore should not be lumped together with Peninsular Malaysia’s programme.
"We also agree with Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah that Sabah and Sarawak have their own conditions for our programme. Therefore, we (Sabah) will proceed accordingly," Liew added. – June 11, 2024
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