Study Urban Renewal Bill, not racialise it - PM's aide tells opposition

Summary

• Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary Kamil Abdul Munim criticises the opposition for playing racial politics over the proposed Urban Renewal Bill.

• He urges the opposition to study the bill first before committing slander.

• Kamil points out that the proposed bill would not alter the status of affected lands.

An aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim berated the opposition for racialising the proposed Urban Renewal Bill without doing due diligence.

“The opposition should scrutinise the bill first before doing something that would not benefit anyone.

“This should be done to uphold the principle of check and balance instead of turning it into a racial issue and committing slander on something of public interest,” said Kamil Abdul Munim in a statement today.

On Feb 19, opposition MPs described the proposed law as a subtle tactic to displace poor Malays and Indians from urban areas.

PAS’ Kubang Kerian MP Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man pointed out that existing legislation is sufficient for the purpose of development

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | Urban Renewal Act - what do we know so far?

“There is no need to introduce a new law for development; what is more important is ensuring that urban demographics are not monopolised by a single race.

“Once this Act is passed, the affected areas will be redeveloped. Those who previously bought homes for over RM100,000 will not be able to afford to repurchase them at over RM500,000.

“The minister responded that banks are available to provide loans... so the minister wants capitalists to monopolise the process. This is a subtle method to push out those who cannot afford it, particularly Malays and Indians,” the PAS deputy president was reported as saying.

However, Anwar had dismissed the argument earlier today, saying the proposed law would not alter the status of affected lands.

“If the land is Malay reserve land, it remains as Malay reserve land. If it belongs to the state government, it remains under the state. If it is privately owned strata land, it stays that way,” he said.

Nothing new

On that note, Kamil said apart from Anwar, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming had also mentioned that the proposed bill would not alter the status of affected lands.

He also said that the proposed bill was not something new as it had been discussed since 2012, with the proposed amendments being compiled in 2015.

“And the law is still in the planning stage where the ministry is still gathering feedback from stakeholders.

“Basically, we are still open to suggestions, ideas, and criticisms from both sides of the political divide to ensure it benefits the targeted group,” Kamil stressed.

Kamil then said he was confident that Malaysian youths would not fall for the opposition’s racial politics in their attempt to gain political mileage using absurd methods.

“As for the government, we will continue to educate the masses, especially the targeted group, on the benefits of the law if it is implemented,” he added.

Don't exploit freedom of assembly to slander - Anwar

Malay reserve land won't change with Urban Renewal Act - Anwar

KINIGUIDE | What is the Urban Renewal Act?

LETTER | Renewal or displacement - hidden cost of urban progress

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