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- Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul announced the adjournment on Thursday, after the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2025 and Passports (Amendment) Bill 2025 were approved by the lower house. The Dewan Rakyat is expected to reconvene at the end of January next year.
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 4): The much-anticipated Urban Renewal Bill 2025 (URA Bill) has been postponed again, as its debate did not take place during the current parliamentary session.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul announced the adjournment on Thursday, after the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2025 and Passports (Amendment) Bill 2025 were approved by the lower house. The Dewan Rakyat is expected to reconvene at the end of January next year.
At present, two Bills remain pending for debate and voting—the URA Bill and the long-delayed Federal Territories Mufti Bill.
To recap, the URA Bill, tabled by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming for its first reading on Aug 21, aims to create a regulatory framework for urban renewal and facilitate the redevelopment of dilapidated urban areas.
Originally, Clause 19 of the Bill set different consent thresholds: 80% for buildings less than 30 years old, 75% for those over 30 years, and 51% for abandoned or structurally unsafe buildings certified by a professional engineer.
However, the Bill has drawn criticism over these thresholds, which were intended to expedite projects often stalled by objections from a minority of owners.
Critics have also raised concerns about provisions allowing the federal minister or state authority to declare any property an “urban renewal area”, enabling compulsory acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act.
On Aug 28, when tabling the Bill for its second reading in the lower house, Nga announced that the government would raise the consent threshold for urban renewal projects to 80% across the board, following consultations with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, and Communications.
Clause 18 will also be amended to ensure demographic data is factored into the planning of urban renewal projects, addressing concerns that redevelopment could significantly alter local communities.
The debate and voting on the Bill—which typically follow the minister’s second reading—have been adjourned, with no clear timeline on when they will resume.
In a written parliamentary reply on Nov 26, Nga said the ministry was reviewing the proposed 30-year age threshold for buildings under the URA Bill to ensure it better reflects technical, economic, and social realities.
In a separate reply on Dec 2, Nga noted that the Bill had been presented to the Special Select Committee on Infrastructure, Transportation, and Communications on Oct 2. Key issues under discussion included participation thresholds and protective mechanisms for both majority and minority property owners.
The ministry has also engaged with political parties such as Parti Amanah Negara and welcomed resolutions from Umno’s Urban Renewal Convention, highlighting broad support for the government’s urban renewal agenda.
Nga had previously said the ministry was fully prepared to proceed with the second reading during the current parliamentary session, but the final decision rests with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
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