KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today dismissed and debunked claims that the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) seeks to marginalise the Malays and Bumiputera community from urban development.
Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, senior press secretary to the prime minister, said that Anwar reiterated no homeowners or landowners would be forcibly evicted due to the proposed URA, which will be brought to Parliament soon.
“The Act will also not change the percentage of Bumiputera ownership or even alter the ethnic composition of a particular area.
“So, claims that Malays and Bumiputeras are being marginalised from urban development are unfounded, as URA’s primary goal is to improve the quality of urban living, whereby it will also benefit the Malay community,” he said during the Prime Minister’s Office daily evening briefing that was broadcasted live today.
On February 27, Anwar hit back at critics of the proposed URA, questioning whether they would prefer urban Malays to remain trapped in poverty.
He also criticised those who claim that using Malay reserve land for urban development would destroy Malay ownership.
Anwar dismissed accusations that the government was eroding Malay land rights, stressing that state-owned reserve land would remain intact.
The prime minister reportedly said that the government’s objective was to improve living conditions by providing larger, more comfortable homes for urban Malays.
