MM2H Revamped To Feature Three-Tier System, Over 400 Fire Hazard Notices Issued To 85 Premises With Bird’s Nests Room Rentals And, More
12th December – 18th December
The Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme has been revamped to feature three tiers – namely, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has issued 464 fire hazard notices to 85 premises which were transformed into tiny room rentals resembling ‘bird’s nests’ since 26 October.
1. MM2H revamped to feature three-tier system
The Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme has been revamped to feature three tiers – namely, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
According to Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, each tier comes with specific eligibility requirements and varying entry visa types, reported The Star.
“The objective is to simplify the often-criticised MM2H application procedures by introducing more flexibility and clarity,” said the minister.
To be trialled for a year, the revised system has a lower minimum age requirement at 30 years, while the list of eligible dependents has been expanded to include children aged between 21 and 34 who are not married or working in Malaysia as well as parents and parents-in-law.
The fixed deposit requirement for the Platinum tier is RM5 million, RM2 million for Gold and RM500,000 for Silver.
All participants, irrespective of their chosen tier, must comply with the minimum stay of 60 cumulative days in Malaysia per year.
Tiong is confident that the revised programme would attract more applicants, fostering global interest in the country as a second home destination.
2. Over 400 fire hazard notices issued to 85 premises with bird’s nests room rentals
The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has issued 464 fire hazard notices to 85 premises which were transformed into tiny room rentals resembling ‘bird’s nests’ since 26 October.
The highest number of notices were issued at the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, with 113. Penang came in second with 71 notices, followed by Sarawak with 57.
JBMP shared that they issued 198 notices for moving or for lack of firefighting equipment, 124 notices for improper installation of safety equipment, 56 notices for insufficient exits and 40 notices for harmful materials which could disrupt firefighters’ duties, reported Bernama.
Meanwhile, 36 notices were issued for renovations which could complicate evacuations, and 10 notices for congested entertainment or public gathering areas which could hamper evacuations.
“We should remember the lessons learnt from the tragic fire that claimed the lives of 21 Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz Centre students in Kampung Datuk Keramat here in 2017,” said Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming after inspecting a premise that has been converted into tiny rooms for rent.
“Such incidents should not be allowed to recur as the Local Government Development Ministry has taken the initiative to helm this operation and we hope whoever wishes to renovate their building will obtain approval from their local authorities,” added the minister.
3. Madani Inclusive Housing Concept to drive development of affordable housing projects
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced the launch of the Madani Inclusive Housing Concept, which is aimed at driving affordable housing projects in Kuala Lumpur as well as major cities in Penang and Selangor.
The pilot initiative involves building 800 homes with various built-up areas to cater the diverse needs of target groups as well as exploring the possibility of inclusive retirement villages, reported Bernama.
In presenting the Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan, Anwar underscored the government’s commitment to housing.
“Rising housing prices and rents have burdened the people. With the participation of all public and private sectors, we will increase our target of constructing 500,000 units of affordable housing in 12MP, which is still at a sluggish level,” said the Prime Minister.
He shared that 108,373 affordable homes have been built as of end-2022.
Anwar pointed the need to improve public housing by moving from the concept of home ownership to residence by ensuring people live safely and comfortably.
He also revealed plans to expand the rent-to-buy scheme to enable more target groups to acquire their own homes.
4. DBKL confirms high-rise project met all planning conditions
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) confirmed that the proposed high-rise project in Kampung Bukit Lanjan has met the technical planning requirements as well as complied with the Residensi Wilayah policy for affordable housing.
The proposed 35-storey building, which caused uproar among nearby residents, was approved in October 2020. The project includes 131 free-market units and 57 affordable homes, reported The Star.
Despite residents’ concerns on a hilly landscape, road capacity, landslips, floods, DBKL said the development has complied with the set policies and guidelines.
And while DBKL did not address residents’ landslip concerns, it underscored that it is the responsibility of the developer to ensure safety and prevent damage or soil erosion to nearby properties during construction.
On the area being gazetted as low-density with low plot ratio, DBKL pointed that “the policy states that a population density of up to 600 people per acre is permissible if the applicant provides a 30% affordable housing component within the development site”.
Notably, the project has met the 30% component rule.
5. Refuse room next to Taman OUG gets makeover
The refuse room located next to Taman Overseas Union Garden’s (OUG) multi-storey carpark underwent a transformation after Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) repaired and upgraded it at a cost of RM15,000.
The area was previously a dumping ground for various waste including broken furniture, polystyrene boxes, plastic waste and rotting food. With the upgrade, gates and fences were installed to restrict access and prevent illegal dumping of waste, reported The Star.
“Once the refuse room was upgraded, we noticed that residents were more responsible and were no longer throwing rubbish there,” said SWCorp Enforcement Officer Sinniah Visvirnathan.
Residents, business owners and market traders were encouraged to utilise the designated waste disposal areas. Business owners were also advised to put rubbish bids in front of their stores or shops.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok lauded SWCorp and Alam Flora for their efforts in addressing the rubbish issue at the area.
6. High Court dismisses suit against government, four others over HSR project’s cancellation
The High Court has granted the request of the government and four others to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a member of the public, Mohd Hatta Sanuri, relevant to the cancellation of the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.
Mohd Hatta sued the government, two prime ministers and two former ministers on behalf of the over 32 million Malaysians. He wanted the court to declare the cancellation of the rail project as null and void and to order defendants to pay RM1 million to him and all Malaysians for negligently cancelling the project, reported Bernama.
Judicial Commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain ruled that Mohd Hatta had no legal standing to initiate the case and ordered the plaintiff to pay RM10,000 in costs.
“It is observed that the plaintiff who claims to represent the Malaysian public had failed to disclose in his statement of claim that he was indeed authorised or appointed to represent each Malaysian taxpayer or citizen,” she said.
“The reasonable and logical conclusion was that this suit was not filed by the plaintiff in good faith. This is an abuse of the court process,” added Roz Mawar.
