KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reportedly said that redeveloping old housing areas in Kuala Lumpur is not an attempt to displace Malays, but a move to provide more dignified living conditions.
According to a report in Sinar Harian today, Anwar said that land status remains unchanged, including Malay Reserve Land and Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS) land.
“I don’t understand this kind of politics. Is the land Malay Reserve Land? It remains so. Is the land Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS) land? Yes, it remains so,” he was quoted as saying during the launch of the Warisan Kuala Lumpur (KL) initiative at DBKL tower.
“But old flats like Sri Perlis, which are dilapidated, overcrowded, and lack facilities — we want to fix them, so why is this being politicised?
“We’re not trying to take Malay land — we want to replace one-bedroom homes with three-bedroom ones. And even that becomes an issue, supposedly land seizure, a Chinese agenda. This is not about race, this is about the people’s dignity,” he reportedly added.
Anwar reportedly said that it was disheartening that some families, including those with children, are still living in cramped one-room flats built over 40 years ago.
He reportedly called for immediate redevelopment with better housing near the same location, while ensuring that the people's needs come before developer interests.
He also reportedly cited examples of housing projects in Penang approved in under 50 days, proving that rapid and efficient development is possible.
