Yong Teck Lee
KOTA KINABALU: Ex-Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee has urged the State Government to take up his proposal made in August 2023 to introduce a Sabah My Second Home (SM2H) programme for non-Sabahan Malaysians to invest in properties in Sabah.
He said as SM2H is limited only to other Malaysians and not foreigners, this programme is within the complete immigration powers of the State Government.
“As for the purchase of properties, the transfer of funds within Malaysia (to Sabah) is a straightforward process.
“Such a simple programme could have been implemented on Jan 1, 2024. This is not the same as Sabah-MM2H (S-MM2H) which is for non-Malaysians. This is SM2H for Malaysians,” he said in a statement today.
Yong, who is also Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President, said once the Sabah authorities have proven themselves efficiently capable of handling SM2H, then Sabah can start implementing the MM2H programme later this year.
“At the moment, even Sabah business people don’t know how the MM2H programme works. When I asked questions in the State Legislative Assembly, no satisfactory answer was given.
“Hopefully, after our own SM2H programme has been put in place, our Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister would have realised the wisdom and found the time to engage with the Federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry to move forward on MM2H,” said the Nominated Assemblyman.
In the case of MM2H, Yong said the applicants are foreign business people.
Being foreign nationals, he said they will want to be absolutely confident that their investments will be honoured with residency privileges.
“But with the hostile exchanges between the Sabah Minister and Federal Minister over the MM2H programme, investor confidence has evaporated into thin air.
“Foreign investors are not stupid. Specifically, foreign applicants for MM2H remember the bitter experience of Forest City of Johor where they were lured by vague promises of residency privileges in Malaysia and even Singapore. So, without an unequivocal commitment by both the Sabah and Federal Governments, there will be no takers for MM2H in Sabah.”
Yong said although the Federal Government has to respect Sabah’s autonomy on immigration, the foreigners know that they need Federal immigration permits to enter Malaysia, of which Sabah is a part.
“The last time that Sabah policy and Federal policy did not align was the dispute over “dine-in” at eateries in Sabah towards the end of the Covid-19 era. At the time (in June 2021), the Federal National Security Council had not yet allowed dine-in at coffee shops and restaurants but Sabah rightly denied the Federal policy. The local authorities allowed coffee shops to open for dine-in. No enforcement was taken by the Federal police and Health Department in Sabah.
“Our business people and Ministers should realise that MM2H is not a coffee shop matter. MM2H involves holders of foreign passports whom we want to spend at least RM600,000 each in Sabah buying properties that they cannot take out easily.
“I urge our the State Government to urgently take up the proposed SM2H which does not need Federal involvement,” he said.
