YOURSAY | ‘Racialising URA won’t make it a better Act.’
COMMENT | Umno and DAP divided over urban renewal bill
KK Voter: Most rational people who are not connected to developers oppose the current form of the Urban Renewal Act, not the URA in principle.
There are simply too many loopholes that allow collusion between developers and the government – all well-documented, including those in this article by P Gunasegaram.
The issue is that certain parties are using Kampung Sungai Baru as the poster boy for the dispute and turning it into a racial issue.
That’s not the solution. You won’t get a better URA bill that way – what you’ll end up with is a non-functional bill, where no redevelopment will ever happen, even if a building collapses on residents and kills half of them.
All the parties have been in government or led the government at various points during the dispute. Each chose to let it proceed when they were in power and protested only when they were out.
Falcon: KK Voter, you are right. This has always been the case, sadly. Except this time it has turned racial, and among them are those who got their facts, timelines, and history all wrong.
Perhaps years of symbiotic relationships between powerful people and powerful developers with deep pockets have their flaws?
Somehow, this has put Umno in a better light than the DAP.
Yes, how times have changed, but the situation remains the same. We live in sad, shocking and sinister times, indeed!
Make the Change in GE: Falcon, are you sure that Umno is seen in a better light than DAP in this “fight”?
As they are in the same government, what has Umno been doing in the last couple of months when DAP and the government were open for discussion?
Could it be that Umno can’t stand that DAP is trying to push forward a long-overdue bill? This may probably be pushed with strong instructions from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Unfortunately, Anwar is not showing the needed leadership on this issue. Instead, Umno is just trying to steal the thunder.
DrKam: If the chairperson of this initiative were from Umno, I’m quite sure the outrage would magically disappear overnight – maybe even be replaced with applause.
But alas, Section 5(2) of the proposed URA insists that the minister chairs the Federal Executive Committee, and that minister happens to be Nga Kor Ming – the loud, proud DAP leader.
Apparently, he is perceived to be too enthusiastic about urban redevelopment. Developers adore him; politicians, not so much.
Honestly, the project itself isn’t the villain here. It could finally drag some of our “heritage” slums into the 21st century.
Just look at Taman Tun Dato Ismail – people from the old longhouses still clinging to land that hasn’t seen rubber trees in decades.
Take a quick LRT ride through Kuala Lumpur, and you’ll see what “redevelopment” should actually mean. Yet, somehow, the protests sound less like concern for the people and more like: “Oh no, a DAP guy might get credit for cleaning up the city!”
Milshah: The URA is a highly politicised issue, to be targeted by PAS and Bersatu if Malay interests are compromised in any way. On the other side, you have DAP and Umno. Who will win?
On this issue, I would say Umno. Why? Non-Malay voters are more likely to be with Pakatan Harapan. Everyone knows this. Whatever Harapan does, non-Malay votes are in the bag.
It is most unlikely that non-Malays would vote for Perikatan Nasional. It is the Malay votes that are of paramount importance. The battle for the Malay votes has always been the game.
So, URA is no different. PN will see if there are any Malay interests being compromised, while Umno and Harapan will ensure no Malay interests are being compromised that can be used by PAS and Bersatu to gain Malay votes.
Non-Malays can sit out on this one, since their votes are certain already.
Hello: It’s becoming obvious that Umno may be jealous of the powers under the Housing and Local Government Ministry headed by DAP’s Nga.
So they are trying to pull the minister’s teeth by taking the URA from him in every which way they can. Let’s see if DAP or Nga will be submissive on this issue.
BluePanther4725: The bill should be fair to both sides, the owners and developers. The consent percentage should be the same for both sides.
The consent percentage should be higher for buildings that are fewer than 30 years old and over 30 years old. The interests of the people should always come before the interests of the property developers.
Fat Tiger: DAP or the minister, are you looking for more power, money, or both? What do you hope to address with this Act?
Please address the fear created by this Act; the trust deficit with authorities is a reality you cannot just ignore.
Why is there such an imbalance in government initiative and owner initiative in the Act? It should all be owner-initiated.
The government should just be there to provide the legal framework support and keep its fingers away from this. Why create more uncertainty and insecurity for property owners or foreign property investors?
The minister should examine himself, who he serves and who put him there, and who is he serving now. If he bulldozes this Act, DAP has lost my vote.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.
These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.
