KUALA LUMPUR: MPs have urged that the Bill to introduce the Urban Renewal Act (URA) be delayed until all pending issues raised by the stakeholders are addressed.
Opposition chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (pic) said a letter by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Infrastructure, Transport and Communications to Housing and Local Development Minister Nga Kor Ming has raised several concerns.
According to Takiyuddin, the letter was written by PSSC on Infrastructure, Transport and Communications chairman Yusuf Abd Wahab (GPS-Tanjong Manis), who urged for the Bill’s second reading to be delayed.
“The PSSC is requesting for the second reading to be delayed until all issues raised in the recent engagement session are resolved.
“I am requesting here for the minister to delay the second reading. This is a request from the PSSC itself because there are many pending issues,” said Takiyuddin in Parliament on Thursday (Aug 21).
Takiyuddin spoke right after Nga tabled the bill for first reading at the Dewan Rakyat.
Moments later, a group of seven backbencher MPs, led by Rodziah Ismail (PH-Ampang) and Wong Chen (PH-Subang), held a press conference at Parliament lobby to clarify their stance on the issue, as they are not entirely against the URA.
According to Rodziah, they were concerned over the consent threshold required to approve the sale of buildings.
“If we look at Hong Kong and Singapore, they have a higher consent threshold than Malaysia,” she said.
“We are not against urban renewal (efforts) on dilapidated buildings, but issues involving low cost housing must be addressed carefully,” she added.
Rodziah expressed concerns over gentrification, which could push low-income residents out of urban areas, potentially alienating government voters.
“This could alienate urban voters too,” she said.
“Continuous discussions should be held with the related PSSC and a thorough social-impact study should also be held,” she added.
Rodziah reiterated that the bill to introduce the URA should not be tabled for second reading on Thursday (Aug 21).
“Review this bill and delay it to the coming session in October. I think that is enough time,” she added.
The current Parliament session which began on July 21 will sit until Aug 28.
The next meeting will take place from Oct 6 to Dec 4.
