Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki stressed that the party is not against urban development.

“However, the bill must be improved and refined. This includes several amendments as recommended by the Umno special committee tasked with making improvements to the bill, chaired by vice-president Johari Ghani,” he said in a statement.

Earlier today, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet decided to retract the bill after taking into account the concerns raised by MPs, ministers and “friends from Umno”.

Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said Nga had received several recommendations from Umno, and almost all of them would be incorporated into the revised bill.

Asked when the bill will be retabled, Fahmi said the Cabinet will leave it to the Attorney-General’s Chambers to draft the new version.

Resistance to the bill from both the opposition and some in the government bloc, including Barisan Nasional and seven PKR MPs, prevented the bill from being passed during the last Dewan Rakyat meeting in August.

The bill aims to redevelop old, dilapidated housing areas to ensure the wellbeing of residents and sustainable urban development.

The bill outlines three types of projects – redevelopment involving tearing down and rebuilding housing projects; regeneration involving repairs or upgrades to dilapidated or abandoned buildings; and revitalisation pertaining to upgrading or improving an area without demolition.