'Tyranny of majority' in proposed urban renewal bill, warns PAS

'Tyranny of majority' in proposed urban renewal bill, warns PAS


Published: Sep 4, 2024 8:51 PM


PAS has sounded the alarm over the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s plan to table the Urban Renewal Act and Residential Tenancy Bill during the first parliamentary sitting next year.

Citing four areas of concern, Federal Territories and Land Development Bureau chairperson Ahmad Amzad Hashim said this included the potential tyranny of the majority as the Malays are the minority in almost all urban areas.

"Sometimes, we Malays feel proud of the many developments, many shops, supermarkets, mega malls and others, but where are we located?

"Where is our interest? Are we being increasingly sidelined? Are our positions secured?” questioned the Kuala Terengganu MP, according to PAS news organ Harakahdaily.

He reportedly said this at the launch of a seminar held in Bukit Katil, Malacca, last night, on the proposed new law.

Aside from the potential tyranny of the majority, he said three other areas of concern include alleged breach of ownership rights; negative social impact; and further amendments to other existing acts.

According to Amzad (above), a breach of land ownership rights may occur through a proposed lowering of an existing need for the government to obtain 100 percent approval before pursuing a redevelopment project.

"Any redevelopment plans that did not obtain 100 percent approval from land owners is a breach of Article 13 of the Federal Constitution that guarantees every citizen's rights to own property.

"In this case, the basic rights of owners must be protected, particularly the Malays who have long resided in the urban area," he stressed.


Evaluate impact

Amzad argued that the risk of "tyranny of the majority" will occur in such situations where Malays form the minority in almost all urban areas, and thus could be "forced" to give up the rights to their homes if the approval threshold is lowered to less than 100 percent.

"If the agreement threshold is lowered to 75 percent, the 25 percent minority who disagrees will be forced to give up their homes.

"This is a form of oppression described as tyranny of the majority," Amzad said.

As for possible social impact, he said redevelopment plans in urban areas will negatively affect urban Malays who are unable to find equivalent or better housing.

Therefore, he urged the Malays to carefully evaluate the impact of the new law on urban Malays in areas of land ownership, equity shares and overall socio-economic standings.