THE extent of Sarawak's authority over tourism in the state is under negotiation, Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah said.
He said discussions are ongoing over licensing for tourist guides and Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) agents.
Karim said that if Sarawak had the power to issue S-MM2H agent licences, the current issues plaguing the programme could bbe avoided.
"However, it will never be solely Sarawak's domain," Karim said yesterday after touring the Borneo Cultures Museum with Governor Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Karim said the federal government had covertly amended the constitution in the 1990s to place tourism under its jurisdiction.
"If (tourism) had remained on the residual list, it would have been entirely a state matter. However, Sarawak and Sabah have agreed to compromise and place it under the concurrent list," he said.
The federal list contains matters solely under federal jurisdiction while the state list contains matters within the exclusive jurisdiction of the individual state governments. The concurrent list holds matters within the jurisdiction of both the federal and state governments.
In the recent meeting, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council Technical Committee moved tourism to the concurrent list as requested by Sarawak.
Karim said the state would seek greater authority over tourism.
He said his federal counterpart, Tiong King Sing, had said that discussions would involve the "delegation of powers," but the extent of delegation remains to be seen.
"We need to sit down and discuss (matters) without rushing. Consultations with both states are necessary," Karim said.
Karim said that when Sarawak and Sabah agreed to join Malaysia, tourism was not a topic of discussion.
"In 1963, nobody saw the importance of tourism. It wasn't on the federal, state, or concurrent list. Therefore, it should have been on the residual list." – June 16, 2024.
