PSM tells PM to address URA criticism, points out flaws

Summary

• PSM urges Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to address criticisms levelled against the Urban Renewal Act (URA) instead of dismissing them as politically motivated attacks.

• Its chairperson Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj says the current bill has flaws which may affect the urban poor.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should address criticisms against the Urban Renewal Act (URA) instead of dismissing them as politically motivated attacks, said PSM chairperson Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj.

This comes after Anwar took on critics of the bill and insisted it would not cause Malays and bumiputera to lose their place in cities, or that the law favours developers.

Jeyakumar said his party found several glaring problems in the proposed law and urged the government to address them.

“The first is that there are no clauses in the URA mandating that the original residents will be resettled in the new property developed at that site.

“And there are no specific clauses stating that the ethnic composition of the new residential properties will be the same as that obtained before the urban renewal project,” he said in a statement today.

Elaborating, Jeyakumar said the check-and-balance mechanism under the bill - the Urban Renewal Mediation Committee - set up under Section 14 (2) of the draft URA - is defective because it will be set up at the pleasure of the state governments.

He added that a well-defined process to set up this mediation committee (MC) is crucial to ensure it can provide an effective remedy for residents who are being evicted from their homes.

“The possibility of the state government having a ‘special relationship’ with the developer cannot be discounted.

“Thus, this must be an independent MC, composed perhaps of retired judges, senior lawyers, and activists, to provide a proper platform for residents who are unhappy with the terms of the alternative housing or compensation offered.

“This committee must have the power to send the proposed plans to compensate the residents back to the drawing board, if necessary,” the former Sungai Siput MP stressed.

What about poor tenants?

Another weakness of the bill, Jeyakumar said, is that it overlooks the fact that a significant number of residents in rundown housing units do not own them.

Rather, they are poor families who are residing there due to low rentals.

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

“They represent the poorest families in our cities and towns. The URA talks about compensating the owners of these properties, but is silent about the housing needs of the impoverished families who are renting the units.

“This omission in the URA must be rectified,” he said.

Jeyakumar added: “The legislation we pass now must stand the test of time by having solid built-in safeguards.

“It should enable affected residents, both owners and tenants, to push back effectively against offers and actions that are inimical to their interests.”

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