JOHOR BARU: The Madani government will gazette 50ha of land in Bandar Malaysia as Malay reserve land — the first such move by the Federal Government since Merdeka in 1957.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said his administration was committed to protecting Malay rights, and the gazetting of the land was historic.
“This decision demonstrated that the Madani government is safeguarding the constitutional position of Malays while continuing to pursue inclusive development.
“For the first time since 1957, the Federal Government declared 50ha of prime land in Kuala Lumpur as Malay Reserve land.
“This was approved by the Cabinet, which includes Umno, GPS, GRS and DAP, and not a single objection was raised,” he said in his speech during a dialogue session with youth at Felda Tebrau here on Saturday (June 4) night.
He said the move disproved claims that the Madani government had sidelined Malay interests, adding that his administration remained committed to upholding Islam as the religion of the Federation, the position of the Malay Rulers and the special rights of Malays and Bumiputera as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
Anwar also urged Malaysians not to be distracted by racial rhetoric, saying the country’s real challenges were corruption, weak governance and abuse of power.
“If Malay leaders are honest, have dignity and are free from corruption, no one can buy us or take over this country,” he added.
On Johor’s development, Anwar said the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) had already attracted around RM10bil in investments even before the agreement was formally signed, adding that negotiations had been conducted directly between him and Singapore’s Prime Minister.
He said Johor was receiving substantial federal support because it had the potential to become one of the country’s key economic growth engines, citing major infrastructure projects such as the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link and the proposed Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) network.
At the same time, Anwar said development should not be measured solely by mega projects, stressing that governments must also improve public housing, schools, mosques, roads and facilities in rural and Felda communities.
He said the Madani government had begun expanding healthcare services in Felda areas, including plans to establish dialysis centres to ease the burden on residents requiring regular treatment.
