Wrong to accuse URA detractors of stoking racial fear, says Pejuang man

Free Malaysia Today

06-05-2025

Pejuang information chief Rafique Rashid Ali said those who accuse opponents of the Urban Renewal Bill of stoking racial tension are 'barking up the wrong tree'.
PETALING JAYA : Accusing detractors of the proposed urban renewal law of stoking racial fear or tension is a gross misunderstanding of the bill, Pejuang information chief Rafique Rashid Ali said.
Rafique said those who made such claims were 'barking up the wrong tree', adding that in some cases, those in government had racialised the matter.
In a statement today, he said no one was against urbanisation or improving the living conditions of Malaysians of all races and creeds.
However, the proposed legislation, in its original form, was a threat that cut across every segment of society, irrespective of race.
For one, the Urban Renewal Act (URA) will empower a committee at federal and state levels to declare any space as urban renewal areas by way of a government gazette.
He said there is no known court mechanism in the bill to bring parties' grievances if one were to contest the said notification.
'Currently, anyone dissatisfied with any takeover or development can bring the matter to court.
'However, the URA bill is silent on this,' he said.
Rafique also said under the proposed law, the consent threshold is lowered, with buildings above 30 years of age subject to urban renewal if 75% of the owners agree.
While for abandoned buildings, the requirement is 50% or half of the owners consent to it.
He also said the URA mechanism does not elaborate on market value or fair compensation, but instead makes mention of value which is not less than what the owner can get before the execution of the intended urban renewal.
'To simplify and pigeon hole everyone who is against the URA bill as stoking racial fear or tension represents total failure to understand the said bill,' he said.
He said the threats posed to the people is why there is a need for a proper full study of the URA, not only by those living in People's Housing Programme (PPR) homes, but by residents in gated and guarded condominium complexes whose building is 30 years old.
'The URA, if not modified to suit the legal and lawful demands of ordinary Malaysians, will lead to a class war between the poor rakyat and the oligarchy developers,' he said.
In a letter published earlier today, Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid hit out at some quarters of the opposition for resorting to 'an all-too-familiar playbook of using race to stoke fear'.
Earlier this year, Syerleena had also questioned the intention of those opposing the proposed URA in the wake of the opposition's claims that it was a subtle move to displace the Malays and Indians.