KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 -- Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming denies claims that the Urban Renewal Bill will push urban Malays out of the cities.

The minister has been on the receiving end of a firing squad that has taken aim against the proposed law to redevelop ageing buildings and improve living conditions - especially for low-income urban communities - and which has at times, turned into a personal attack.

"These are all slanderers with nothing better to do.

"They say the original residents will be kicked out - this is all falsehood," Nga told Malay newspaper Mingguan Malaysia in an interview published today.

He was also asked, point black, if the proposal was a subtle eviction of Malays.

"No. What do I gain by evict...