'Developers tricking residents into 'consenting' to urban renewal projects'

Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir has accused developers of employing “deceptive tactics” to secure residents’ consent for urban renewal projects, despite the Urban Renewal Bill not yet being passed in Parliament.

Speaking during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Mukhriz claimed that developers were manipulating survey forms to create the impression of residents’ approval.

“The report we received from residents’ associations was shocking. They said consent was obtained through signatures on survey forms. In one form, residents were asked what facilities they wanted - a recreation area, surau, better lifts, or other amenities.

“Of course, residents would tick what they liked, but at the bottom of the form, they were asked to sign and write their IC number.

“Beneath that were sentences that were not highlighted to the residents,” said Mukhriz, who cited issues shared by the KL Residents Action for Sustainable Development (KLRA+SD) during Pejuang’s roundtable and dialogue on the bill today.

He said KLRA+SD’s explanation touched not only on the bill’s content but also painted a picture of how homeowners are being manipulated.

Residents’ rights denied

Elaborating, Mukhriz stressed that the method clearly denied residents their rights.

“We consider this a method that completely denies residents’ rights because they were not given a proper explanation. Matters as important as this should be clearly explained to residents, and even after signing, they must be asked if they understood what they signed. All of this should have an SOP.

“But it seems developers are blatantly deceiving unit owners or residents for commercial purposes. That is just one of many things developers are doing,” he added.

He said the roundtable, which included opposition representatives and NGOs, saw unanimous rejection of the bill. The legislation had earlier been postponed at the second reading in Dewan Rakyat and is expected to return for debate in October.

Mukhriz further warned that loopholes in current local authority practices could already be exploited by developers, particularly in high-value areas of Kuala Lumpur.

“Their efforts will certainly bring huge commercial gains to developers, but at the same time oppress and deny the rights of existing residents and landowners around Kuala Lumpur.

“From today’s discussions, we feel that not only does the bill’s draft need improvement, but the unanimous conclusion is that the bill must be rejected entirely,” he said.

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