Group wants stronger safeguards in URA

A Kuala Lumpur residents’ group has urged the government to include key principles and safeguards in the Urban Renewal Act (URA), saying the bill is poorly defined and leaves many questions unanswered.

KL Residents Action for Sustainable Development (KLRA+SD) said these clarifications must be written into the bill itself to reflect guiding principles.

According to New Straits Times, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the government aimed to ensure a staged process, prioritising revitalisation and regeneration before redevelopment.

However, KLRA+SD said this was not reflected in the bill’s wording.

“Verbal assurances have limited reliability, are subject to interpretation and can change depending on who holds office.

“This is compounded by the overconcentration of powers on the minister, whom the Federal Executive Committee reports to, along with a lack of checks and balances and public accountability mechanisms.

“The measures Nga mentioned, such as due diligence on consent obtained and mediation, are, at most, remedial and not preventive,” it said in a statement today.

Consent issues

The group also said developers should not be tasked with obtaining residents’ consent due to conflicts of interest.

It added that remedial measures alone do not allow residents to influence the type of redevelopment or ensure they are given options.

KLRA+SD claimed that the government also did not address questionable tactics used to gain residents’ consent, including coercion or persuading them without providing full information.

To reduce decisions being based on personal opinions, the group suggested that the urban renewal process framework be made public so people can give useful feedback to MPs before the bill is debated again in Parliament.

“This would allow the people’s voices to reach the Parliament and a more holistic discourse on the bill,” it added.

On Aug 19, Nga said that the URA is an important pillar to ensure that old towns are revised in supporting the country’s sustainable development agenda.

On Aug 28, the government postponed the debate on URA to the next Dewan Rakyat sitting in October, following heavy pushback against the proposal.

Nga then said that the government will introduce amendments to several provisions under the bill to address concerns over demographic composition and the threshold of consent from property owners.

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