SHAH ALAM - The government has been urged to appoint a clear authority to coordinate urban redevelopment efforts in a more systematic manner.
Kota Damansara assemblyman Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kassim said this appointed body should be responsible for selecting the developers who will carry out urban renewal projects under the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA).
He said in addition to this, the authority should have the right to set eligibility requirements based on assessments rather than relying solely on a developer’s financial capability.
"With urban renewal, issues related to land ownership and strata titles that have been raised for decades can be handed back to the government for resolution.
"I agree that the approval threshold should be reconsidered, as we need to look at the broader perspective to ensure that the majority of residents who agree are not disadvantaged," he said during the Wacana Sinar programme entitled "Benarkah Akta PSB hendak pinggirkan rakyat" aired live on Sinar Harian digital platforms, last night.
Izuan and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman were the panellists in the programme hosted by Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin.
Meanwhile, Izuan said he believed that the URA provided people with the option to determine their living conditions while also adding value to their properties.
"Based on a survey conducted among 1,500 respondents from 37 low-cost housing units, their main issues include theft cases and youth involvement in drugs.
"Although these issues cannot be solved through urban renewal alone, at the very least, residential areas could be equipped with CCTV cameras, security guards and more private spaces with additional rooms in each unit," he said.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that the URA would not result in the original property owners, regardless of race, being forcibly evicted from their land or premises.
Anwar also guaranteed that the original land status, whether Malay Reserve Land or freehold, would remain unchanged under this bill.