Umno urges URA be referred to special parliamentary committee

Umno will request that the 2025 Urban Renewal Bill, scheduled for its second reading in the Dewan Rakyat next week, be referred to a special parliamentary committee.

Umno’s special task force chief for improvements to the Urban Renewal Bill, Johari Abdul Ghani, said this would allow the bill to be further refined.

He added that the move would also ensure the proposed law is more comprehensive and takes into account feedback and criticism from various segments of society.

“Yes (Umno will request that the 2025 Urban Renewal Bill) be referred to a special parliamentary committee (before it is passed in the Dewan Rakyat).

“We have already gathered various findings following the PSB Convention.

“These findings will be discussed with Umno president and deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to review how we can incorporate public views (on the 2025 Urban Renewal Bill).

“As (government bloc) MPs, we cannot be fighting among ourselves, and I myself am a minister. Therefore, we will bring this bill and discuss it with Zahid.

“He (Zahid) will then inform the prime minister,” Johari said at Umno’s URA Convention, held at the World Trade Centre (WTC) in Kuala Lumpur today.

The bill was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 21. It was widely panned, particularly by the opposition, who claimed that it would sideline the Malays.

As a result, the second reading of the bill was postponed, with the government promising a review of the bill.

On Sept 18, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming announced that the bill would be tabled for a second reading on Oct 6.

Consider stakeholders’ views

Johari, who is also Umno vice-president, said his party is not against urban renewal but stressed the process must take into consideration stakeholders’ views.

Therefore, the minister stated that referring the bill to the PSSC would be a good measure, given that the law involves many stakeholders, such as premises owners, tenants, the community, and others.

“For example, there are about 91 localities in Kuala Lumpur. If it (urban renewal) happens simultaneously, where are the people to find temporary housing?

“And if they (the residents) are moved to places far away from their workplaces, then the RM1,200 in rental support given by the developer may not be adequate.

“This is because the residents would have to incur additional costs in terms of transportation while awaiting their new homes to be built.

“Plus, they would have to find alternative transportation to send their children to school and others. These are among the issues making people worried about URA,” he added.

Among those present during the convention were Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and Women’s chief Noraini Ahmad.

The convention, among others, decided on three resolutions – one being that the URA should not be tabled in its current form.

They also made 14 proposals to improve the bill, one being that the consent threshold be increased to between 90 to 95 percent before an urban renewal plan can be implemented.

Another resolution agreed upon was for urban renewal plans to be defined clearly, with no residents being moved out before the consent threshold is reached.

No loopholes

Johari further said he had received over 1,200 feedback on the URA, with the majority supporting urban renewal in principle.

Their only concern, the Umno leader added, was for the government to come up with a just law and not leave any loopholes for developers to exploit.

“For instance, the Kampung Sungai Baru case. The residents moved out of the place eight years ago, but their housing has yet to be completed. Some have been waiting for 15 years to get back their units,” he added.

Johari also urged the government to review other laws, such as the Land Acquisition Act, Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act, and Strata Titles Act, to ensure there are no overlaps.

“We want to ensure no one takes a shortcut to acquire strategic areas in the name of development.”

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