PKR central leadership council member G Sivamalar said “Madani” referred to the government’s core values – including sustainability, innovation, and compassion – and was not meant to promote any single individual.

“It needs to be stressed that it’s ‘Madani City’, not ‘Anwar’s City’ as cynically claimed by Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

“It’s shameful to mock a policy built on such principles for political gain,” Sivamalar said in a statement.

She added that the project addressed a real need for housing among civil servants, who make up 90% of Putrajaya’s population.

Sivamalar cited the Auditor-General’s Report 2021, which said that nearly 18,000 civil servants were still waiting for government quarters.

She said the 41ha Madani City project would offer 10,000 housing units for up to 30,000 people, and was meant to be a walkable city with essential services within a 15-minute radius.

She urged critics to stop politicising public welfare and to support meaningful solutions introduced by the government.

Yesterday, Wan Saiful warned against using administrative slogans to brand major projects, saying it could lead to losses if there was a change in government.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Madani City project is set for June 26. The township will come with a secondary school, a technical and vocational education and training institution, banks, a government clinic and a mosque, among others.

Its first phase, involving around 3,000 residential units and a vertical school, is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.