TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke, in an attempt to tone down attacks against the DAP on Urban Renewal Authority (URA) Bill, said this piece of legislation reflects Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s aspirations for urban redevelopment.
Urging critics not to “point fingers” at DAP, Loke said the bill’s principle is to redevelop old, dilapidated flats and housing in major cities like Kuala Lumpur, adding that Anwar aspires to improve living conditions for poor Malaysians while protecting homeowners’ rights.
“The bill guarantees that homeowners’ rights are protected so that the value of their homes is preserved,” he said yesterday to reporters after an event in Sikamat, Seremban.
He clarified that the bill is not a partisan initiative, stressing that any minister presenting a bill in Parliament does so under the broader agenda of the Madani government.
“I find it strange. Why say the bill is DAP’s agenda? This is the Madani government’s agenda. Any bill brought by a minister is not the agenda of their party, as it has already gone through the cabinet.
“If a bill is brought by a minister from UMNO, do we then say it is only that party’s agenda? No. Once a bill is tabled in the Dewan Rakyat, it represents the collective decision of the government,” the transport minister and Seremban MP said.
Last week, the bill faced backlash from the opposition while several Members of Parliament from the Madani government also criticised the bill.
BN deputy chairperson Mohamad Hasan said the coalition’s MPs want the URA Bill to be postponed and reviewed.
Several PKR lawmakers have also voiced concerns over the bill’s consent threshold for urban renewal, while the opposition, civil society groups, and Kuala Lumpur residents staged a protest outside Parliament objecting to the URA.
Debates and voting on the bill have since been deferred to the next Dewan Rakyat sitting in October, with Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming promising that his ministry will introduce improvements to the proposal.
The bill proposes the redevelopment of ageing and deteriorating urban areas without requiring 100 percent approval from owners. —Aug 31, 2025
Main image: Bernama
