Govt Denies Syed Saddiq S Claim New Law Will See Poor Folk Evicted

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Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had claimed that the proposed Urban Renewal Act would lead to the urban poor being evicted from their homes to make way for redevelopment.
PETALING JAYA: The housing and local government ministry has rubbished Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s claim that the proposed Urban Renewal Act will lead to the urban poor being evicted from their homes.
The ministry said there would be no form of coercion or gentrification under the Act and that a key requirement was the consent of a property owner for it to be acquired and redeveloped by Putrajaya.
It added that “holistic” negotiations would be held involving federal or state authorities and every property owner.
The ministry also said the consent threshold of 75% to 80% of property owners in buildings was mandatory, and that authorities would not proceed with redevelopment if the threshold was not met.
“If the threshold is reached, the remaining 20% to 25% minority who have yet to agree will still be engaged in further negotiations until a full 100% agreement is reached.
“The threshold is to ensure the feasibility of these projects would be determined through the agreement of the majority of affected residents living in unsafe, dilapidated urban areas with a lower quality of life,” it said in a statement.
Yesterday, Syed Saddiq expressed fears that the proposed law would sideline those who were poorer, saying developers previously needed the agreement of every single resident to take over a low-cost flat.
He said the Urban Renewal Act’s lower threshold of 75% to 80% could see the minority disagreeing with such projects having their homes being taken against their will. - FMT

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