PETALING JAYA: Concerns highlighted in a memorandum of proposals on the Urban Renewal Bill have been raised in a meeting between the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Infrastructure, Transportation and Communications and the Housing and Local Government Ministry, says MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong (pic).
The Ayer Hitam MP, a member of the PSSC, said the matters raised require serious attention from the government.
According to Dr Wee, the memorandum of proposals is jointly endorsed by 16 professional bodies, residents’ associations, non-governmental and civil society organisations.
“The group had also met with the MCA leadership and me to present several key points concerning the Bill, in detail.
“Hopefully, the government, particularly the ministry, will take this matter seriously for the benefit of the people as a whole,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
The meeting between the PSSC and the ministry was chaired by Tanjong Manis MP Yusuf Abd Wahab.
On Aug 21, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming tabled the Bill in Parliament for its first reading.
The Bill aims to facilitate the redevelopment of old, dilapidated and run-down housing areas.
However, there has been mounting public backlash that the proposed new law will give project developers excessive powers to force home sales and evict those who refuse to move out once a set consent threshold is reached, thus eroding individuals’ property rights.
MCA and numerous other stakeholders have also called for the Bill to be withdrawn.
Dr Wee had previously said there were concerns about the lack of clarity on the Bill’s transparency in the development process, protection of constitutional rights and compensation for affected homeowners.
Stakeholders, meanwhile, have urged the government to impose a moratorium on the current 139 areas identified for redevelopment in Kuala Lumpur to prevent potential confusion among the public, with some proposing that the government address other property issues before attempting to pass the proposed Bill.
Stakeholders also suggested that property management laws be reviewed to prevent the need to bulldoze dilapidated projects.
Several protests also took place outside Parliament to oppose the Bill.
In one of the protests, chants of “Reject URA” echoed as protesters moved towards the Parliament gates before being stopped by police.
The protesters also carried various signboards displaying the message “Kill the Bill”.
Debates on the Bill, which was originally planned for Aug 28, were postponed to Oct 6.
