Abdul Karim (centre) addresses the media after launching the pre-qualifier. He is flanked by Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak Deputy Minister Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu (right) and Liew. – Photo by Mohd Faisal Ahmad
KUCHING (March 10): Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has dismissed claims that the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme is solely targeted at Chinese nationals.
He said while China is the top source of applicants for MM2H, the programme is open to applicants from all countries except for Israel and North Korea.
Abdul Karim was commenting on Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing’s statement on Saturday that the MM2H programme is not exclusively for Chinese nationals.
Tiong made this remark in response to former information, communications, and culture minister Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim’s Facebook post on Friday claiming the MM2H programme had granted permanent residency to 22,000 Chinese nationals in Malaysia.
Abdul Karim opined that China’s large population and strong familiarity with Malaysia likely contributed to the high number.
“Like Sarawak-Malaysia MySecond Home (S-MM2H) programme, our highest number of applicants are from China, Europe, United States of America, and Singapore.
“But as it is, MM2H is open to all countries in the world, not just limited to China,” he told a press conference after launching the Junior Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Pre-Qualifying 2025 here today.
Abdul Karim noted that while the S-MM2H programme differs slightly from MM2H as it is managed by the state government, both programmes share the same fundamental principles.
“The goal is to attract individuals from other countries who love Malaysia and wish to make it their home, not necessarily by applying for citizenship or permanent residency, but by visiting regularly.
“To simplify the process and reduce the hassle of excessive requirements, the MM2H programme typically grants a five-year pass, with the option to extend for another five years.
“This allows participants to enter and exit the country freely throughout the validity period,” he explained.
Additionally, SLTA president Datuk Patrick Liew said the programme has greatly contributed to the development of tennis in Sarawak.
“Many of them, who come from China, Korea, Japan, their children all become our tennis players.
“I have more than 65 junior players, and of course, we charge foreigners slightly higher. It also becomes a source of revenue for us,” he said.
Liew also expressed his support for the MM2H programme as its active promotion could help boost tennis as a more popular sport. https://www.theborneopost.com/2025/03/10/abd-karim-rubbishes-claims-second-home-programme-solely-targeting-chinese-nationals/