‘Don’t let our cities turn into slums, it’s not too late’ – PM

March 10, 2023

‘Don’t let our cities turn into slums, it’s not too late’ – PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Skyscrapers and mega projects in the city would be meaningless if it is “culturally-barren”.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the imbalance between physical and human development gives breed to various problems including the hardcore poor and dire living conditions among the dwellers.

“Learning the lesson from big cities, we must ensure balance between development and safeguarding the well-being of the people.

“Maintain the equilibrium. If we focus only on development — when plot ratio is not a question — then we’ll see imbalance,” he said at the opening of the Kuala Lumpur Park Festival 2023 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa today.

Such imbalance, Anwar said, would reflect in overcrowding, the existence of slums and lack of proper housing for the people.

He said previous town planning saw many forests cleared for various developments.

“Because we were too focused on development, we didn’t allocate areas for people’s housing projects earlier on (in town planning). It’s not too late, although it is (a) serious (problem).

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“I ask the municipal authorities to look into this. Make sure there’s a balance (between development and the people’s well-being),” he said.

The perennial affordable housing problem in cities, including Kuala Lumpur, has driven many people to live further from their workplaces, causing population to be concentrated in suburban areas instead.

This has also contributed to the worsening traffic congestion due to daily commuting.

Anwar said in safeguarding people’s well-being, protecting the rights to services including proper healthcare facilities and food outlets must also be given priority.

“We want five-star restaurants, but the food stalls are equally important. We want the stalls to also be beautiful and good enough for the people from the lower income group.

“If we can achieve this, it will create a balanced community that accepts the principle of equilibrium where there is justice for all.”

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah, in his speech earlier, said the nine-day festival was aimed at improving public awareness and showcase various species found in Malaysia, while promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

He said it was in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to improve awareness on the function and role of public parks in sustainable living and improve the people’s quality of life.