KUALA LUMPUR – Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan has called for the government to postpone the tabling of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) Bill, warning that public concerns over the proposed law remain unresolved.
The Bersatu Supreme Council member said he has received continuous feedback from stakeholders alarmed by the Bill’s implications.
“In discussions with the Ministry of Local Government Development (KPKT) through the Parliamentary Select Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Communications (JKPK IPK), I and many other MPs have repeatedly conveyed the people’s unease,” he said in a statement today.
Wan Saiful pointed to several issues yet to be addressed, including what he described as an arbitrary consent threshold, questions over fair compensation, and doubts about the Bill’s compliance with the Federal Constitution.
“If the government wants to bulldoze the URA Bill, they can, because they have the majority. But that would be an act of tyranny of the majority,” he warned.
He said he has formally urged the JKPK IPK to recommend that the Housing and Local Government Minister defer the Bill until all outstanding matters are settled more harmoniously.
The URA Bill aims to establish an authority to spearhead urban renewal and redevelopment of ageing housing schemes and city areas. It would give powers to acquire and redevelop old properties to revitalise urban centres.
But critics fear the legislation could undermine property owners’ rights, particularly in relation to consent thresholds for redevelopment projects and the adequacy of compensation.
Questions have also been raised about its consistency with constitutional protections for property ownership. — August 20, 2025