Hamzah defends new MM2H rules amid royal objections
Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin has defended the newer, more stringent rules for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.
He said the new rules, which will only apply to new applicants, were fair and good for the country and the people's future.
He was speaking at a press conference today when asked to respond to Johor's Sultan Ibrahim...
Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin has defended the newer, more stringent rules for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.
He said the new rules, which will only apply to new applicants, were fair and good for the country and the people's future.
He was speaking at a press conference today when asked to respond to Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar's decree - in which the monarch was displeased by the new rules.
While not mentioning or referring to the sultan, Hamzah (above) went on a long tangent to explain why the rules were being updated.
He said it was prompted by the results of a KPMG study commissioned by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
He said the study's recommendations included raising the minimum income level for MM2H programme participants from RM10,000 to RM35,000.
However, Hamzah said the government decided to round this up to RM40,000.
He also defended raising yearly visa fees, which had remained at RM90 since 1996, to RM500.
He said the low visa fees only resulted in a collection of RM58 million over the past 25 years.
This, he said, was despite the MM2H participants enjoying many government subsidies, such as for fuel and cooking oil.
"For each person, we forget, (the subsidies enjoyed) is more than RM500. Is it wrong to charge RM500 per year?
"It is not, it is fair. So why are so many Malaysians defending them?" the minister asked.
Meanwhile, Hamzah said there is also a separate extended visa programme for businesspersons and investors who were pumping money into the country to help generate the economy.
He also assured that existing MM2H participants would be allowed to remain in the country, and would not have any action taken against them unless they commit a crime.
He also assured that because MM2H participants and their dependents are not allowed to exceed one percent of the Malaysian population, their impact on property prices would be insignificant.
Last week, Sultan Ibrahim expressed disappointment that Hamzah would not review the MM2H rules.
The sultan said Johor was a popular MM2H destination, and the programme had contributed to the state's revenue and had positive effects on the country's economy.
“MM2H is a programme that can create a positive influence on social-economic growth which will benefit the people and the government.
"However, if we impose strict rules on participation, this will affect the country's global image," the ruler had said.
