Wan Saiful Urges Urban Renewal Bill Debate To Be Postponed

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Wan Saiful Wan Jan announced that he plans to submit a proposal today, urging the tabling of the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) to be postponed.
The Bersatu supreme council member said in a Facebook post that the proposal will be sent to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Infrastructure, Transport, and Communication.
He said the PSSC should ask the Housing and Local Development Ministry to postpone the first reading of the bill, originally scheduled for tomorrow, until all outstanding issues have been resolved by the government.
The Tasek Gelugor MP also said that in a series of prior discussions between the PSSC and the ministry, he and several other parliamentarians have repeatedly voiced the people’s concerns regarding the proposed act.
ADS“I still feel as though the government has not yet successfully addressed the worries and concerns raised by the rakyat.
“This includes issues related to the overly arbitrary consent threshold, potentially unfair compensation, the question of whether this act is even compatible with the Federal Constitution, and many more, which have yet to be resolved,” he said.
Wan Saiful also added that, if the government wanted to “bulldoze” the bill, they could proceed with “bulldozing” it, due to having a parliamentary majority, but such action would then be seen as a “tyranny of the majority”.
Yesterday, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming announced that his ministry will table the proposed URA in the Dewan Rakyat for its first reading on Aug 21.
He also said the second and third readings have been scheduled for Aug 27, thus marking a new direction in ensuring that urban development in Malaysia remains sustainable, advanced, prosperous, and inclusive.
According to Nga, a total of 101 engagement sessions have been held with various stakeholders, including two with the parliamentary select committee in drafting the bill.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming“We have met with developers, homebuyers’ associations, rukun tetangga, academia, universities, NGOs, and even MPs. This proves that we have done everything possible. Therefore, I believe it is time for this Act to be tabled.
“I think the time has come, because next year the country will celebrate 70 years of independence, and we need a new Act to revive old cities,” he said yesterday.
Commenting on whether the ministry would maintain a whole-of-government approach or provide allocations directly to local authorities, Nga stressed that sustainable development remains the main framework of the Madani economy.
Urban renewal initiatives under the URA are governed by the Strata Titles Act 1985, which requires unanimous consent from all property owners under Section 57 before the management body can act as trustee to carry out redevelopment projects.
Under the proposed new legislation, the ministry has recommended a tiered consent threshold based on the condition and age of the building: 75 percent for buildings over 30 years old, 80 percent for those under 30 years, and 51 percent for buildings classified as dilapidated or unsafe for occupancy. - Mkini

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