PASIR Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has called on the Madani Government to introduce key amendments to the Urban Renewal Bill (RUU Pembaharuan Semula Bandar, or RUU PSB) to ensure it protects the interests of working-class Malaysians, rather than developers.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Hassan urged the government to make the proposed law more equitable, warning that without such changes, it may not garner sufficient support when tabled in Parliament on 6 October.
“In urban renewal projects involving demolition and redevelopment, homeowners must be provided with new homes free of charge, without incurring new debt,” he said.
He stressed that any redevelopment requiring demolition must retain a 100 per cent consent threshold, as homebuyers were originally protected under the Strata Titles Act 1985 (Act 318), which requires full consent to terminate a strata scheme.
“A new law cannot apply retrospectively, because citizens’ property rights are guaranteed under Article 13 of the Federal Constitution,” Hassan said. “To apply the law retrospectively would not be Madani – it would be tyranny.”
However, for renewal projects that do not involve demolition, such as regeneration or rejuvenation, he proposed that the consent threshold could be reasonably reduced to 80 per cent.
Hassan also emphasised that consent thresholds should be based on the type of urban renewal project rather than the age of the buildings involved.
He called for the Bill to clearly state that the Land Acquisition Act 1960 would not be used to enforce urban renewal, warning of the class dimensions of the issue.
“This is not a racial issue – it is a class issue,” he said. “It is a clash between the poor, who live in flats and low-cost housing, and the wealthy capitalist class behind these redevelopment projects.”
Asserting that the current draft of the Bill is skewed in favour of developers, Hassan added: “If the Madani Government truly stands with the poor and low-income groups, these amendments must be made.”
“The current RUU PSB cannot be defended even by government backbenchers, as it is fundamentally flawed – both legally and in terms of the justice principles that underpin the Madani philosophy.” October 1, 2025
