PEKAN: The postponement of the Urban Renewal Act (URA) Bill has paved the way for the Pahang government to provide comprehensive input through engagement sessions with the Housing and Local Government Ministry, as well as other relevant stakeholders.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail described the move as crucial to ensure that issues of public concern can be clarified, further scrutinised, and taken into account before a final decision is reached.

"As the Menteri Besar, I believe the postponement will allow the state government to present its views more comprehensively through engagement sessions, whether organised by the ministry or through discussions with other parties who are directly or indirectly involved," he told reporters after at SM Sains Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah here today.

At the event earlier, Wan Rosdy launched the Pahang Makmur Initiative, which provides free reference and exercise books to 23,784 candidates sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia, and Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia examinations across Pahang this year.

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Meanwhile, Wan Rosdy, who is also the Pahang Umno liaison chairman, expressed gratitude to Barisan Nasional (BN) members of parliament for playing a key role in convincing the government and the ministry to postpone discussions on the Bill.

"Umno believes the position of Malays in urban areas must continue to be safeguarded, while also ensuring that the Malay community has access to more comfortable, organised, and cleaner housing, instead of being confined to ageing flats that are often associated with social issues.

"Therefore, the Bill to be drafted must strike a balance between these two priorities, namely protecting the position of Malays in urban areas and guaranteeing opportunities to improve their quality of life," he said.

The URA Bill, which was slated for its second reading on Aug 28, received mounting resistance from both opposition and government MPs, including BN and several PKR lawmakers, before it was deferred to the next sitting scheduled for October.

BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the coalition's 30 MPs had called for the bill to be delayed.