In a Facebook post, Nga said it was unreasonable for those who once supported the bill to now oppose it.

“The Urban Renewal Bill is not something new introduced by the current government,” said Nga.

“In fact, urban renewal guidelines have existed since 2012 and previous governments also expressed the intention to pass this bill during their administration.

“However, now that they are in the opposition, they have changed their stance and twisted what is in the bill. They should be honest and not politicise this initiative,” he said.

On Tuesday, opposition MPs declared that they were prepared to face suspension from Parliament for six months in protest against the bill.

Last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said initial discussions to draft a specific Urban Renewal Act were held in 2013 before the process of drafting the Act was announced in 2015.

In a Bernama report, Anwar said then housing and local government minister Zuraida Kamaruddin initiated the drafting of the Urban Renewal Bill in 2021, a process that was later continued by her successor, Reezal Merican Naina Merican, in 2022.

The proposed Urban Renewal Act seeks to replace outdated legislation and regulations governing the redevelopment of dilapidated urban areas.

Critics have pointed to the lowered consent threshold, saying it may undermine the rights of residents in the minority by forcing them to comply with the majority of residents who wish to have their areas redeveloped.

The government has repeatedly said that residents’ rights will be safeguarded through fair compensation and protective measures.