ALOR SETAR: The Urban Renewal Act (URA) may seem appealing on paper, but what is concealed can be dangerous, warned Datuk Ahmad Yahaya.
PAS Ulama Council chief said that the legislation contained both explicit and implicit elements that could be dangerous to the Muslim community.
"What is written (in the law) may appear beautiful and appealing, but what is hidden can be like a knife.
"One that wounds and cuts, especially if it falls into the wrong hands," he said in his opening speech at the Ulama Council 64th Muktamar assembly here on Saturday (Sept 13).
The URA was intended to replace outdated laws governing the redevelopment of such buildings in urban areas. The Bill was tabled for second reading in Parliament at the end of August but was neither debated nor voted on, with discussions deferred to October.
Concerns have been raised about issues such as compensation, transparency, accountability, the impact on lower-income groups and the displacement of smallholders with below-market compensation.
PAS youth said on Friday (Sept 12) that they plan to stage a protest a day before Parliament convenes in October to express their dissatisfaction over the URA.
Meanwhile, Ahmad says the ulama council must be prepared to face various current challenges due to the many sources of information.
“Various kinds of thinking have started to enter and influence this large collective movement.
“Likewise, the people on the ground are receiving all kinds of information without any filtering.
“As a result, deviant ideologies such as secularism, liberalism, pluralism, and others can easily influence certain segments of our society,” he said.
He also warned that the Syariah Courts and its provisions under certain state enactments were being challenged.
"One by one, these justice systems are being dismantled through constitutional challenges in court.
"The authority of religious institutions is being questioned and challenged, not only in matters of Syariah criminal law but also in issues related to LGBT and others," he said.
The other big issue faced was the social ills that can no longer be contained, including the recent alleged bullying case of Zara Qairina Mahathir, added the Ulama council chief.
"This phenomenon has brought about a new perspective, that bullying is no longer an isolated issue behind school walls, but a national one that needs to be addressed urgently," he said.
Zara, 13, was found unconscious at her school on July 16 and was pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
