PETALING JAYA: PAS Youth is planning a rally in protest against the proposed Urban Renewal Act, claiming that it will displace “minorities”, and drawing parallels with the plight of the Palestinians.
In a statement, PAS Youth deputy chief Hafez Sabri said the proposed legislation, which will likely be tabled in June or July, would silence the voice of the minorities, threaten socio-economic stability, and trample on the rights of certain quarters.
He said the bill would also pressure urbanites, especially the poorer Malays, to relocate and hand over their land.
“We are very concerned that the strategy to drive out Palestinians in the past is making a comeback. The residents risk losing their rights. This is a form of modern colonisation that must be stopped,” he said.
He also urged Malay-Muslims to unite in protest against the proposed law. However, he did not say when the rally would take place.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that the proposed act would not force property owners to give up their homes or alter the ethnic composition of residential areas.
Addressing concerns over the potential impact of the bill on residents, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat there would be no provision that could lead to owners, regardless of ethnicity, losing ownership of their property.
The opposition had claimed that the proposed law was a subtle method to displace poor Malays and Indians.
Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man of PAS also said that MPs from Perikatan Nasional would oppose the bill as it could disrupt harmony.
Housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming however denied that the bill was targeted at a specific race.
