LANGKAWI: The proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) must reflect Malaysia’s diverse development realities, says Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
He stressed that while land-scarce Kuala Lumpur may need redevelopment, states like Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan still have room for new growth.
Johari – newly appointed to head Umno’s special task force refining the Urban Renewal Bill – said such a Bill should not be rushed through by lawmakers as it affects the lives of the masses.
The Plantations and Commodities Minister and acting Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said this when met on the sidelines of the 18th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME-18) here yesterday.
He said that developers involved in redeveloping such areas under the proposed legislation, be they the government or private, must not repeat the cases of Kg Sungai Baru or the Tun Razak Flats, which caused much hardship for the original owners.
“Umno is not asking for the revocation of the Bill, but for it to be studied in the context of Malaysia.
“The government must ensure a win-win situation with such a Bill – where the country can be developed but the people are not oppressed just because we did not refine an Act (before passing).
“This task force formed by Umno is due to the feedback from Umno members, who represent the Malays. ... We have to accept the fact that a city like Kuala Lumpur was built in 1974 and there is no more empty land available (for development),” he said.
“The Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that there are 139 areas in Kuala Lumpur identified with the potential for redevelopment.
“However, this Bill covers the whole country. In other states of Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan, there may still be empty land and (degazetted) forests available for development, unlike Kuala Lumpur.”
Johari also said there was a need to look at the bigger picture of the whole country and how to redevelop areas where there was a need to move the residents.
“If we are moving them (during redevelopment), where do we move them to? We may want to develop an area with a four-storey flat to become a four-block 30-storey building,” he said.
“Where do we move the current 500 residents to a suitable place where it does not cause them hardship in terms of schools and workplaces?’
