'I'm not a puppet': URA to uplift urban Malays, says PM

PARLIAMENT | Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has lambasted the opposition for accusing Putrajaya of trying to displace Malays through its Urban Renewal Bill.

Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar said he is not a puppet who would allow himself to be used by anyone to drive out the Malays so the Chinese can take over their housing.

Instead, the prime minister stressed, the bill is intended to uplift the living conditions of Malays who have been staying in dilapidated housing areas in cities.

“Do not assume that this is a strategy for the Chinese to take over Malay (houses).

“I disagree (with this notion). I am not a puppet.

“I am sitting here, and I have the mandate to defend the rights of the Malays, who are the majority,” Anwar said during Prime Minister’s Question Time.

He was responding to a supplementary question by opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut), who urged the government to postpone the bill’s second reading scheduled for later today.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | What is the Urban Renewal Act?

The remarks came amid fierce pushback against the bill by opposition leaders, who argued it would cause gentrification and push out the poor, especially the Malays and Indians.

‘Bill not perfect, but can always adjust’

According to Anwar, his administration is pushing for the new law to help urban Malays who have been living in poor housing conditions.

Citing several examples, such as the Seri Perlis flat in Kuala Lumpur, the prime minister urged the opposition to inspect the housing areas, some of which are not in a livable condition.

Anwar told the opposition that the government is ready to listen to their constructive criticisms and make adjustments to improve its proposal, but urged them to accept that the move is necessary.

“I am not saying the proposed legislation is perfect. We can always make adjustments.

“But do not make accusations such as saying that we are trying to sideline the Malays, or that we want to oppress the community. This is incorrect.

“One of my responsibilities is to stress on this, that (we are doing this) to save the urban Malays. I do not want the Malays to ‘merempat’ (live in squalid conditions),” he said.

‘Prove we surrendered land to Chinese’

Earlier, when responding to a question from Ahmad Amzad Hashim (PN-Kuala Terengganu), the prime minister also challenged the opposition to point out any Malay area that the current government had surrendered to the Chinese.

“I want to ask, since we took over the government, with DAP as part of it, which area have we surrendered (to the Chinese)?

“Over several past decades, which administration has given land to the Chinese? Which government was daring enough to give away Malay reserve lands in Kuala Lumpur since 1957?”

Anwar appeared to stumble over a detail when talking about the threshold of consent.

Specifically, Anwar started talking about the threshold for buildings that are 30 years old, but then said 40 years in the next sentence.

“(For buildings over) 30 years old, there must be negotiations; the government can’t bulldoze (without consent).

“If it’s true that the building is 40 years old, then 80 percent must agree, with strict conditions. And we have set that the 20 percent (who did not agree) must not be abandoned. If they have a right, a title (to the property), then there must be adequate compensation,” he said.

Under the proposed Urban Renewal Bill, buildings below 30 years need 80 percent approval before they can be redeveloped, while older premises only require the agreement of at least 75 percent of owners.

Reporting by Hariz Mohd, Alyaa Alhadjri, N Faizal Ghazali

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