{
  "id": 19483378,
  "title": "Lawyer launches book on challenging land acquisition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/lawyer-launches-book-on-challenging-land-acquisition",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-11T10:46:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/11/11/lawyer-launches-book-on-challenging-land-acquisition"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A senior lawyer, Rosli Dahlan, has penned a book titled \"Challenging Land Acquisition in Malaysia\" to shed light on the government's authority to acquire land and the legal avenues available to dispute such decisions. The book was launched today at the Asian International Arbitration Centre in Kuala Lumpur, alongside his co-authors, Farah Shuhadah Razali and Amiratu Al Amirat. The book delves into the constitutional and statutory foundations of land acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act 1960, the procedures involved, and the legal options for property owners seeking to contest acquisition decisions.\n\nThe author, a partner at RDS Advocates & Solicitors, was motivated to write the book by the importance of informing the public about their rights when the government seeks to take their land. He emphasized the need for such acquisitions to follow proper procedures, citing Articles 13(1) and 13(2) of the Federal Constitution, which safeguard property rights by requiring that no person can be deprived of their property without due legal process and that compulsory acquisition must provide adequate compensation. Dahlan stated, \"Just because the state wants land and there is an Act allowing it to acquire that land, it doesn’t mean it can do so willy-nilly. It has to follow the proper procedures.\"\n\nLaw and Institutional Reform Minister, Azalina Othman Said, officiated the book's launch, expressing that policymakers should pay more attention to land acquisition matters. She acknowledged that compulsory land acquisition might be necessary for public good development, but stressed that the exercise of such powers should remain subject to challenge. Othman Said emphasized that, \"It is important to recognise that these interests need not conflict. Development and constitutional safeguards can and must coexist.\" She stressed that challenging the exercise of power is not disloyalty, but rather a crucial aspect of the rule of law.",
  "summary": "Rosli Dahlan says the book aims to educate the public about their rights to challenge state land acquisition decisions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}