PETALING JAYA: An NGO has called on the government to commit to tabling the Residential Tenancy Bill at the next Dewan Rakyat sitting instead of waiting until 2027.
Architects of Diversity (AOD) noted that housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming had said on Feb 5 that the bill was in its final drafting stage and that he hoped it would pass the Dewan Rakyat this year.
It said the previous National Housing Policy 2018-2025 had identified 2019 as the year that drafting of the Residential Tenancy Act was to begin.
“Seven years later, the bill has yet to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat. Throughout this period, Malaysians have repeatedly been told that the policy was being developed, stakeholder consultations were ongoing and the bill was nearing completion.
“This can no longer be dismissed as a mere administrative delay,” the NGO said in a statement today.
AOD cited its previous study of 35,367 room rental listings in the Klang Valley, which found 42.8% explicitly excluded at least one ethnic group.
It said the lack of a clear legal framework left tenants facing racial discrimination without a dedicated avenue for redress, while landlords had to rely on civil proceedings to recover unpaid rent or address property damage.
The NGO said the bill must include enforceable anti-discrimination protections, establish an accessible Residential Tenancy Tribunal, and set out clear responsibilities for rental listing platforms.
“If, after seven years, a bill that has repeatedly been described as nearly complete still cannot be tabled, the question is no longer simply one of time.
“It is a question of whether the government has the political commitment to deliver on a reform it has repeatedly promised,” it said.
