URA, Kampung Baru and Controversial Bias

The URA or Urban Renewal Act is a new law that Malaysia is planning to role out. It is a framework for redeveloping old and unsafe urban areas. The government promotes it as a solution to crumbling flats, congested neighbourhoods, and under-utilised land. Yet the fierce disputes in Kampung Baru, particularly the confrontation in Kampung Sungai Baru, show that renewal without fairness leads to resistance, not progress. At the same time, the way local authorities have dealt with illegal Chinese and Hindu temples in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor raises troubling questions about selective enforcement and poor governance.

Kampung Baru and the Sungai Baru Flashpoint

Kampung Baru remains one of the most culturally significant areas in Kuala Lumpur. For many Malay families, their properties are a link to ancestry and identity. When the government gazetted Kampung Sungai Baru for compulsory acquisition in 2021, more than 400 homes were put at risk. Valuations offered to residents came in at around RM400 per square foot. Market transactions nearby in the Golden Triangle can exceed RM1,000 psf. The gulf between the two numbers left residents feeling cheated.

Tensions escalated in September 2025 when authorities attempted to enforce evictions before legal disputes were resolved. Residents staged protests, officers clashed with demonstrators, and arrests followed. For the people of Kampung Baru, the forced pace of change looked less like renewal and more like dispossession.

MADANI Promise and its Pitfalls

The URA is designed to prevent such conflicts by creating clear rules. A minimum 80 percent consent threshold is now proposed for all projects, regardless of building age. This is meant to balance collective renewal needs with individual rights. Provisions for unsafe or abandoned structures are included to avoid tragedies.

Yet Kampung Baru shows that percentages on paper mean little without trust. Residents demand clarity in compensation, transparency in valuation, and certainty that they will not be forced out before courts hear their objections. Without those assurances, URA risks becoming a developer’s charter instead of a community safeguard.

Illegal Temples and Foolish Inaction

While residents of Kampung Baru are pushed to vacate their homes, several illegal temples in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have been allowed to remain even though they block highways, delay rail projects, and cause traffic hazards.

A glaring case lies in Klang, where Chinese and Hindu temples continue to obstruct Federal Route FT3217 along Jalan Meru, despite road widening works being planned to ease daily gridlock. Residents have long complained of traffic congestion and safety risks, yet enforcement has stalled.

Similarly, the LRT3 project in Shah Alam faced costly delays because an unapproved temple sat along the proposed alignment. Contractors could not proceed until negotiations dragged on for years. Another example is the Kinrara–Damansara Expressway (Kidex) proposal, which was revised partly due to religious structures in its path.

Malaysia already has the Land Acquisition Act 1960, which gives the government power to compulsorily acquire land for public purposes. Eminent domain exists in law and should have been invoked swiftly. Instead, local governments chose hesitation, citing sensitivity or bureaucratic confusion. This indecision is not prudence; it is folly. By failing to act, councils delayed infrastructure projects worth billions and undermined the credibility of planning laws.

This double standard is obvious to Kampung Baru residents. When it comes to their homes, compulsory acquisition proceeds with speed and force. When it comes to illegal temples blocking public works, authorities retreat. Such inconsistency is not only unfair but foolish. It sets a precedent where unlawful structures are tolerated while lawful owners are punished.

Building a Credible URA

For URA to work, policymakers must first restore faith in the principle of equal enforcement. Renewal cannot be selective. If eminent domain can be applied to Kampung Baru, it must also be applied to illegal temples. Local governments should not hide behind excuses. They must act decisively and lawfully, regardless of whether the structure in question is a flat, a terrace house, or an unapproved temple.

At the same time, renewal must protect cultural heritage. Kampung Baru is more than land; it is a living history of Malay settlement in the capital. The URA should guarantee rights of return, ensure replacement housing is affordable, and provide transparent valuations that reflect real market conditions. These safeguards will prevent renewal from becoming another name for displacement.

U-RACIAL?

The URA has potential to modernise Malaysia’s urban core and deliver better living conditions. But it will only succeed if it enforces rules fairly and consistently. Kampung Baru residents deserve fair compensation and respect for heritage. Illegal temples that obstruct highways and delay rail lines deserve firm action under the Land Acquisition Act. Anything less exposes the foolishness of local government and risks making URA a symbol of inequality. Renewal must be about justice, not selective enforcement. Only then will Malaysians believe that URA serves the people rather than developers or political convenience.