Nga confirmed the matter after the bill’s first reading and a meeting with the parliamentary special select committee chairman for infrastructure, transport and communication, Tanjong Manis MP Yusuf Abd Wahab, in Parliament this afternoon.

“The committee has agreed that the Urban Renewal Bill should proceed according to schedule, subject to several proposed improvements that will be raised during the debate,” said Nga in a statement.

Nga tabled the bill for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat earlier today.

Earlier, seven PKR MPs called for the second reading to be postponed, citing concerns over the consent threshold under the proposed law.

Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail, who led the call, urged the government to review the bill and only proceed with tabling it in the October sitting.

She warned that passing the bill in its current form could be a “major political mistake”, potentially affecting support for the unity government among urban voters living in public housing.

Rodziah also said Malaysia should not model the law after Hong Kong and Singapore as it has more land available, which she said justifies a higher consent threshold of between 85% and 90%.

“We should not support this 75% threshold (under the bill),” she said.

The others supporting the postponement included Subang MP Wong Chen, Gopeng MP Tan Kar Hing, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan, Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, Balik Pulau MP Bakhtiar Wan Chik and Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung.

The bill’s second and third readings are scheduled for next Wednesday.

The proposed Urban Renewal Act seeks to replace outdated legislation governing the redevelopment of old and dilapidated urban areas.