Nga dares opposition to live in rundown flats, defends URA

Summary

• Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming challenged opposition MPs to live in rundown flats to understand urban poverty.

• He said his ministry invited opposition MPs to briefings on the Urban Renewal Act, but they did not attend.

• He addressed concerns about vacant local government-provided kiosks, citing solar panel battery issues and ongoing improvements.

Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming invited opposition MPs who were against the proposed Urban Renewal Act to live in dilapidated flats to experience the struggles of the urban poor.

The Teluk Intan MP said the offer was intended to help critics better understand the challenges faced by residents living in such conditions.

“They are also offered to stay in vacant units and will be exempted from paying rent if they agree,” he told reporters.

“This past week, we brought all members of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara to visit a flat. Right beside the flat, there was a python.

“So, for those who object, I want to invite the MPs concerned - bring your wife, your children, stay there, and feel for yourself what the urban poor are going through.

“Don’t just live in your own bungalow, go stay there… bring Datin Seri, let her live in a dilapidated flat and only then will you understand why we want to implement the Urban Renewal Act,” he said.

Nga revealed that his ministry invited opposition MPs twice to attend briefing sessions on the proposed legislation, but they did not turn up.

He said that initially they agreed to attend, but when the day came, they did not show up.

“They skipped again… not only are they absent from Parliament, but when we want to help the people, they also skip that,” he added.

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

‘Vacant kiosks under review’

Earlier, Nga, together with Pahang state executive councillor Mohd Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff, attended the ministry’s Sentuhan Kasih 3.0 programme in Kampung Chempaka, Kuantan.

Asked whether the opposition would be invited again for a site visit to the flats, Nga replied that the ministry does not intend to extend another invitation.

On a separate matter, the minister addressed concerns over local government-provided kiosks for traders that remain unoccupied despite being completed.

“This initiative aims to empower small traders, particularly to ‘legalise’ unlicensed vendors.

“We acknowledge there are weaknesses, and we are taking corrective measures.

“For example, these kiosks use green technology, but in the first phase, there were problems with the solar panel batteries - they weren’t strong enough and only lasted four hours.

“So for the second phase, we have new solar panels and longer-lasting batteries that are still under construction,” he said.

Nga said he has directed the ministry’s director-general to take immediate action and resolve the matter.

“There are 156 local authorities across the country, and they are the ones managing kiosk allocation, application approvals, and so on.

“They also need to answer for the many kiosks that are still vacant and have yet to be allocated to traders,” he said.

According to ministry data, the government allocated RM100 million last year to provide the kiosks, up from RM50 million the year before.

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