Akmal, Wee call for URA rejection, Chow backs property upgrades
Published: Aug 27, 2025 3:28 PM
Updated: 7:27 PM
Summary
- Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh and MCA president Wee Ka Siong call for the Urban Renewal Bill to be rejected.
- Akmal argues that lowering consent thresholds from 100 percent to 70-80 percent violates constitutional property rights and unfairly allows the majority to override individual homeowners.
- Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow backs the legislation, arguing that without urban renewal, residents would be stuck in deteriorating buildings.
Two BN lawmakers want the Urban Renewal Bill rejected completely, while their government ally is backing the legislation as vital for progress.
Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh today made an impassioned plea to BN MPs in Parliament to reject the bill, saying it is unfair to homeowners in its present form.
“One of the things we cannot accept is lowering the consent threshold. Previously, if you wanted to develop an urban area, you had to get 100 percent agreement. But now, they want to reduce it to 80 percent and even 75 percent,” said the Merlimau assemblyperson.
“This means our houses and our land belong to the majority, not to us, and this goes completely against the Constitution. Our house belongs to us. Our land belongs to us. It doesn’t belong to the majority.
“I also want to appeal to all BN MPs - please, we really need your help. Let’s reject this bill first and improve it, then we can table it again,” he added in a video on Facebook.
Akmal also questioned why the residents’ agreement threshold needs to be lowered, given that when BN upgraded Razak Mansion, a condominium in Kuala Lumpur, the government received approval from every resident.
He questioned why this cannot be done again under the proposed bill.
MCA wants further amendments
The only two MCA lawmakers - Ayer Hitam MP Wee Ka Siong and Tanjung Piai MP Wee Jeck Seng - also expressed that they cannot vote in favour of the proposed legislation.
Ayer Hitam MP Wee Ka Siong
Wee Ka Siong said the party decided not to support the bill following discussions with stakeholders, particularly NGOs.
“Our MPs are unable to support the bill, which remains incomplete and fails to convincingly ensure that the people’s interests are fully protected.
“Amendments to the bill are necessary to address the public’s concerns,” the party president said in a short statement on Facebook.
Penang already pursuing renewal projects
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, however, begged to differ, saying urban renewal is crucial to upgrade old flats that are over five decades old, as well as to improve residents’ quality of life.
Malay Mail reported him as saying that Penang had already embarked on renewal efforts even without the proposed law, citing the Mahsuri project in Bayan Baru.
“What’s the alternative? Wait for these 50-year-old buildings to become 100 years old? Who would want to live in these old buildings?
“If we look at Selangor, the state has many such projects that need to be redeveloped,” the Batu Kawan MP said.
Wee Ka Siong said the party decided not to support the bill following discussions with stakeholders, particularly NGOs.
“Our MPs are unable to support the bill, which remains incomplete and fails to convincingly ensure that the people’s interests are fully protected.
“Amendments to the bill are necessary to address the public’s concerns,” the party president said in a short statement on Facebook.
Penang already pursuing renewal projects
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, however, begged to differ, saying urban renewal is crucial to upgrade old flats that are over five decades old, as well as to improve residents’ quality of life.
Malay Mail reported him as saying that Penang had already embarked on renewal efforts even without the proposed law, citing the Mahsuri project in Bayan Baru.
“What’s the alternative? Wait for these 50-year-old buildings to become 100 years old? Who would want to live in these old buildings?
“If we look at Selangor, the state has many such projects that need to be redeveloped,” the Batu Kawan MP said.
Batu Kawan MP Chow Kon Yeow
He added that states opposing the bill did not face the same problem of ageing flats with small units that no longer meet modern needs.
The menteris besar of the four Perikatan Nasional states - Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis - objected to the bill in a joint statement yesterday.
In a rare moment of bipartisan support after the bill’s first reading, several government backbenchers and opposition MPs also called for the second reading to be postponed to the next Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Also taking issue with the bill’s consent thresholds, Subang MP Wong Chen slammed the proposed rate as unacceptable, noting that it is lower compared to Hong Kong and Singapore.
Urban rejuvenation initiatives under the proposed Urban Renewal Bill are currently governed by the Strata Titles Act 1985, which requires unanimous consent from all property owners under Section 57 before the management body can act as a trustee to carry out redevelopment projects.
Under the bill, the ministry has recommended a tiered consent threshold based on the condition and age of the building: 80 percent for buildings under 30 years old, 75 percent for those over 30 years, and 51 percent for buildings classified as dilapidated or unsafe for occupancy.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming today received a memorandum of support from residents regarding the bill outside the Parliament building.
The memorandum was handed over by nearly 100 residents of various backgrounds, including those from Desa Bakti in Selayang and the Taman Maluri flats in Cheras.
In a post on X, Nga said the residents urged the government to expedite the tabling of the Urban Renewal Bill.
“They asked the government to speed up the tabling of the bill, and many also suggested that the opposition should live in the dilapidated and run-down flats to experience the hardship faced by the people,” he wrote.
He added that states opposing the bill did not face the same problem of ageing flats with small units that no longer meet modern needs.
The menteris besar of the four Perikatan Nasional states - Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis - objected to the bill in a joint statement yesterday.
In a rare moment of bipartisan support after the bill’s first reading, several government backbenchers and opposition MPs also called for the second reading to be postponed to the next Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Also taking issue with the bill’s consent thresholds, Subang MP Wong Chen slammed the proposed rate as unacceptable, noting that it is lower compared to Hong Kong and Singapore.
Urban rejuvenation initiatives under the proposed Urban Renewal Bill are currently governed by the Strata Titles Act 1985, which requires unanimous consent from all property owners under Section 57 before the management body can act as a trustee to carry out redevelopment projects.
Under the bill, the ministry has recommended a tiered consent threshold based on the condition and age of the building: 80 percent for buildings under 30 years old, 75 percent for those over 30 years, and 51 percent for buildings classified as dilapidated or unsafe for occupancy.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming today received a memorandum of support from residents regarding the bill outside the Parliament building.
The memorandum was handed over by nearly 100 residents of various backgrounds, including those from Desa Bakti in Selayang and the Taman Maluri flats in Cheras.
In a post on X, Nga said the residents urged the government to expedite the tabling of the Urban Renewal Bill.
“They asked the government to speed up the tabling of the bill, and many also suggested that the opposition should live in the dilapidated and run-down flats to experience the hardship faced by the people,” he wrote.
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