'Proposed Urban Redevelopment Act will make Malays lose political power'

The Urban Redevelopment Act (URA), which is in the final stage of drafting before being tabled in Parliament, will make the Malays a minority and lose their political power in the country, a PAS leader claimed.

According to PAS treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad, there seems to be an “agenda” behind the drafting of the law by the Housing and Local Government Ministry, helmed by DAP minister Nga Kor Ming.

“We have seen how Malay traditional and heritage villages, for example in Batu Uban and other areas in Penang, have all ‘disappeared’ and been replaced with new developments.

“Ultimately, we will see the Malays lose their power and position. Why so? Because we are no longer the majority,” Iskandar, who is also a former Selangor PAS commissioner was quoted saying by Harakah Daily.

He gave an example of the redevelopment of a Malay-majority settlement with 500 units, to a 2,000-unit housing project, under the law.

Iskandar added that the Malays from the original settlement would still be given places in the redeveloped project, but the remaining 1,500 units would comprise mixed races, which would change the area’s demographic.

“That is why we think this Act has an improper agenda. Ladies and gentlemen, housing is an effective political instrument for staying in power,” the former Selangor exco member said.

Iskandar claimed previous governments concentrated the Malay population in a certain place to make them the majority by providing housing units below RM100,000, but now, the government is doing the exact opposite by building houses that cost over RM500,000, which is unaffordable for most Malays.

Previously, Nga said that once the URA is approved by Parliament, it will create abundant investment opportunities to change the city skyline and generate hundreds of billions in gross development value (GDV).

DAP’s ‘agenda’

Elaborating, Iskandar said the law only contains “technical” provisions like displacement, compensation and replacement, which he said are “minute” issues compared to concerns on racial composition.

He claimed the urban poor would be the most affected by the proposed law, where they would be forced to defend their respective homes because once they are driven out, they can never return.

As an example, Iskandar cited the demolition of Malay settlements under the PAP rule in Singapore for “development”, which has to date, rendered the community a minority in the island republic.

In addition, the country practises the Ethnic Integration Programme (EIP) under the Housing & Development Board (HDB) where the Malays are only allowed to make up 28 percent of the population in any given area, he said.

“This means that if an HDB settlement already has 28 percent (Malays), we would no longer be allowed to buy a house there, as the racial composition must be at the set level at all times.”

DAP was trying to implement the same in Malaysia with the urban renewal bill, Iskandar further alleged.

Iskandar proposed that cooperatives be established to “rescue” dilapidated Malay-owned properties or lands, including old houses, or paddy fields, to retain the ownership of the said properties for the Malay Muslims.

He said there used to be agencies, statutory bodies and government-linked companies (GLCs) that dealt with Malay lands and properties, but now they are all “toothless”, with some having betrayed their original purpose of establishment.

Because of this, a lot of the government’s land and assets, which should have been managed by the said agencies of GLCs, have been handed to private developers for profit, he alleged.

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