Umno vice-president Johari Ghani has been appointed to lead the party’s special team tasked with making improvements to the Urban Renewal Bill 2025.
Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the team will look into and refine every aspect of the bill in detail, before presenting it in an upcoming Urban Malays’ Convention at the end of September.
“This convention will see the involvement of Umno’s top state and division leaders nationwide, Malay political parties, NGOs, academics, and civil society members.
“The resolution at the convention will be handed to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim,” he said in a statement today.
On Aug 29, Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stressed the need to expand consultations with state governments, local residents, and urban planning experts before the bill is tabled again.
The debate on the bill has been pushed to the next Dewan Rakyat meeting in October, following resistance from both opposition and government MPs, largely over consent thresholds for redevelopment.
Thanking the government for accepting the BN MPs’ request to postpone the bill’s progress, Zahid said they wanted the remaining time to be used to conduct more comprehensive engagements with stakeholders and other parties.
“While BN acknowledges the importance of the bill for the nation’s development, we also want a thorough review to ensure it truly delivers holistic benefits to all citizens and communities involved,” he said.
The Urban Renewal Bill, tabled by housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming for the first reading on Aug 21, seeks to replace outdated legislation and regulations governing the redevelopment of dilapidated urban areas.
