KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has dismissed claims that there was a master agent monopolising the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.
However, the tourism, arts and culture minister has asked for the public to provide him with information should such a thing exist.
"There is no master agent. If there is, please let me know which one," he said briefly in the Dewan Rakyat in answer to a supplementary question from Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah).
Mas Ermieyati had asked him to provide an explanation following complaints by industry players that a company named Elite Agency was appointed as a sub-agent for another company, Wira Mesra Unggul, which is licensed under the MM2H programme and is working as if it was a master agent.
In June, Tiong released the latest guidelines for the MM2H programme, saying that new MM2H participants were not eligible for permanent resident status.
There are three categories for MM2H: Silver, Gold and Platinum, along with a special category for special economic zones (SEZ) and special financial zones (SFZ).
The general conditions for all three categories include being open to foreigners from countries with diplomatic relations with Malaysia, being at least 25 years old, and staying in Malaysia for at least 90 cumulative days a year.
The Platinum category requires a fixed deposit of US$1 million, the Gold category requires US$500,000, and the Silver category requires US$150,000.
Applicants are now required to buy a property in Malaysia worth between RM600,000 and RM2 million, depending on the category.