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Malaysia, My Second Home
campaign needs bigger boost
14/03/2006 The Star Comment: By V.K.CHIN
The ‘Malaysia, My Second Home’ campaign was launched some five years ago,
but the response has been disappointing. The programme is aimed at getting
more eligible foreigners to regard Malaysia as their second home.
It is also a good project as it enables more foreigners to live here for
months or years instead of just coming here on short visits as tourists.
Those who qualify for it will be given visas of up to five years.
The lack of success shows that much more needs to be done to attract more to
join the scheme.
The criteria are that they must have the financial means to look after
themselves and that they must be genuine participants.
Those who are above 50 years of age and with sufficient proof that they will
be able to look after themselves or their spouses can join the scheme to
retire here.
While the purpose is to enable them to spend part of their retirement in
Malaysia, those with a lot of capital will also be allowed to start business
ventures here.
Those with special skills required by the nation can retire here and to
work, so that they will be able to contribute their expertise and experience
in their respective fields.
So they need not just come here to holiday as some of those in the 50s and
60s may still have the health and energy to do something useful in their
spare time.
They just cannot play golf or lie on the beach the whole day, and they can
also spend their time usefully to help contribute towards Malaysia’s
development.
To give the programme a boost, the Government has put it under the Tourism
Ministry instead of Home Affairs.
This is more appropriate as to make it work, there must be a lot of hard
selling, which is best done by those in charge of tourism.
It had been handed to the Home Affairs Ministry at the start because the
issuance of visas is involved, which this ministry is responsibility for as
the immigration department is under its care.
But it involves much more than visas since those interested must be made
aware of this programme and promotion and marketing is the forte of the
department of tourism rather than immigration.
However, even with the switch, it is necessary for the two departments to
work closely together as immigration will come in when interested applicants
want to obtain a visa for a longer stay.
What the Government should do is to check the background of applicants
carefully, especially their funds, since we do not want crime bosses to make
use of this programme to launder money or use the country as a base for
other illegal activities. |
