KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — The proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) will provide homeowners with the opportunity to obtain new, more comfortable, spacious, and livable replacement units, says Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
He said this is in line with the “no less favourable” condition stipulated under the act, which allows homeowners to receive new units that are better than existing ones.
“For example, if the current unit is 450sqft and worth RM200,000, the new unit offered may be larger, or, for instance, valued at RM400,000. What’s the issue if our (Madani government’s) main objective is to help the people?” he said.
Nga was speaking to reporters in a press conference at the URA Expedition with MPs. Also present were Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu and the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk M. Noor Azman Taib here today.
He said the expedition aimed to help all 222 MPs gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the URA, especially its impact on the urban poor, so they can support the government’s agenda to improve the people’s quality of life.
“Earlier, I visited the residents of Flat Kuchai Jaya. Not only did they agree, they also requested the URA be expedited as they were desperate.
“Over 90 per cent of residents in the area have given written consent for the redevelopment project. However, as the URA is not yet in place, all projects are stalled and cannot be carried out,” he said.
He added that under the current Act 757, the threshold requirement for owner consent was 100 per cent, and if even one person disagreed, a project cannot proceed as it would be against the law.
Previous media reports said proposed amendments to the URA included lowering the threshold for owner consent in the redevelopment of buildings over 30 years old to 75 per cent, while the threshold for buildings less than 30 years old would remain at 80 per cent.
Nga said to date, the ministry had conducted 79 comprehensive engagement sessions involving various parties over two years, including with the Parliamentary Special Select Committee, ahead of the Bill’s scheduled tabling in Parliament on June 23.
Commenting on the attendance at the session, Nga expressed disappointment over the absence of opposition MPs.
“As we all know, there are those who are politicising this issue. For the record, I have sent special invitations to all MPs, including opposition members from Perikatan Nasional. At first, they agreed to attend, but on the day of the expedition, they failed to show up,” he said.
The URA expedition included working visits to four sites; two dilapidated and unsafe sites (Flat Sutera, Taman Desa Bakti Selayang, and Block A of Flat Kuchai Jaya, Taman Kuchai Jaya) and two successfully redeveloped projects (1 Razak Mansion, Salak Selatan, and Residensi Kerinchi, Bangsar South).
Meanwhile, Kamil Jalil, 62, a resident of Flat Kuchai Jaya who has lived there for nearly 30 years, said the main issues faced by the residents were malfunctioning elevators, poor cleanliness due to foreign tenants, and the lack of parking spaces.
“I take the stairs every day. If anybody is sick or unwell, the only alternative is to be carried down the stairs because the elevator is not functioning. I hope this issue will be resolved soon and the minister can discuss with the developer to improve the facilities,” said Kamil, who sells nasi lemak for a living.
— Bernama
