Urban Renewal Or Removal Race Card Poisons Rational Discussion

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 A video clip featuring National House Buyers Association (HBA) secretary-general Chang Kim Loong on YouTube garnered tens of thousands of views since Monday.
At the time of writing, it has been shared over 13,000 times and has drawn more than 2,500 comments. The video addressed various concerns regarding the proposed tabling of the Urban Renewal Bill. 
But for the past two months, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming held discussions with stakeholders, including property developers, homebuyers’ associations, community activists, academics, MPs, and political parties.
“We uphold the principle of leaving no one behind. We involve all parties because we do not want our cities to turn into slums. This Act is a step forward in revitalising old and dilapidated urban areas to become more sustainable and modern,” he said.
Claiming that a total of 101 engagement sessions had been held in the drafting of the bill, making it one of the most comprehensive legislative processes, with the highest number of stakeholder engagements in the nation’s history, Nga said.
Why fierce opposition?
If this were truly the case, why has the bill faced such fierce opposition? Were these engagements substantive consultations with civil societies and stakeholders, or were they merely ceremonial events ending with teh tarik and kuih muih? 
Protesters in front of Parliament voicing their opposition to the Urban Renewal Act on Tuesday, Aug 26Most importantly, how did the ministry handle the critical voices representing homeowners?
Were the concerns of the HBA taken into account, especially that it has, over the years, represented aggrieved house buyers and owners, including taking on moneyed developers and seeking justice in the courts of law?
The phenomenal popularity of Chang’s video is a public recognition of the vital role HBA has played for years in protecting ordinary house buyers, often taking on powerful developers in court. This raises a critical datum: The HBA’s well-founded concerns are based on law and decades of experience, genuinely helping buyers and owners.
Until Wednesday evening, Nga was adamant and stuck to his guns - the bill would be tabled the following day as scheduled, despite objections raised by various parties, including the opposition and dissenters within the government bench.
Even appeals for a deferment were poo-pooed. Valiant attempts were made by some government MPs to seek a postponement, but were countered by lawmakers from the same side. What an irony!
Was there consent?
But on Thursday, matters took a turn. Foreign Minister and Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan announced that all 30 Umno MPs have unanimously called for a postponement of the tabling of the bill.
This raises an important question: By convention, are not proposed legislation or amendments to the laws discussed by the cabinet before they are tabled in Parliament?
Would this mean Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and a dozen other Umno ministers had given their consent unless the bill was drafted surreptitiously and tabled in Parliament without their approval, which is an impossibility?
One could only interpret Umno’s decision to balance calls from the opposition, which has turned the proposed law into a racial issue.
‘No need or new law’
The bill is aimed primarily at redeveloping old housing in cities, but PAS claims it is a tactic to displace poor Malays and Indians from urban areas.
Opposition MPs at a press conference in Parliament objecting to the Urban Renewal ActKubang Kerian MP Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man pointed out that the existing legislation is sufficient.
“There is no need to introduce a new law for development. What is more important is ensuring that urban demographics are not monopolised by a single race.
“Once this Act is passed, the affected areas will be redeveloped. Those who previously bought homes for over RM100,000 will not be able to afford to repurchase them at over RM500,000.
“The minister responded that banks are available to provide loans... so the minister wants capitalists to monopolise the process. This is a subtle method to push out those who cannot afford it, particularly Malays and Indians,” he said at a press conference in Parliament.
Not to be left out, Selangor Umno Youth waded in, asking the government to establish a specific ratio for Malay residents in development projects under the proposed Act.
Its chief, Imran Tamrin, stressed that any potential legislation should protect the position and interests of the bumiputera in urban areas.
“We urge for a clear safeguard to be included in the bill to preserve the demographic composition of Malays and bumiputera in any redevelopment carried out under the URA,” Imran told a press conference.
Why the racial tint?
Why are issues seen through racial and religious lenses? Why should even a proposed law have race connotations? Can’t the proposals be argued and debated without throwing in the race card?
PM Anwar Ibrahim and Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming (second from left) with pictures of shabby housing developmentsOn Wednesday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim upped the race issue, asking the opposition not to make accusations such as saying that we are trying to sideline the Malays, or that we want to oppress the community. 
“One of my responsibilities is to stress 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.
“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.”
Bulldozing bill
On Thursday, Nga did not deliver the coup de grace (final, decisive blow) by withdrawing the bill. Instead, in postponing its tabling, he said amendments to several provisions will be made to address concerns over demographic composition and the threshold of consent from property owners.
But why weren’t these issues addressed before? The ministry refused to heed the voices of reason. Even legal opinions raised by the Bar Council were ignored. The intention was to bulldoze the bill through.
As if to appease detractors, in Parliament, Anwar declared: “I am not saying the proposed legislation is perfect. We can always make adjustments.”
Why promulgate and table an imperfect bill?
As for the adjustments, I will take them with more than a pinch of salt. I refuse to believe the government and its leaders when they make promises. For the past 30 months, we have been waiting for what was promised before the 15th general election in 2022.
Then, too, there were promises of similar adjustments to other pieces of legislation, including the reintroduction of local government polls. What has happened? - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who tries to live up to the ethos of civil rights leader John Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Comments:[email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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