Latest news with #DUN
National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Dream Office REIT Announces July 2025 Monthly Distribution
Article content TORONTO — DREAM OFFICE REIT (TSX: ('Dream Office' or the 'Trust') today announced its July 2025 monthly distribution of 8.333 cents ($1.00 annualized) per REIT Unit, Series A ('REIT A Units'). The July distribution will be payable on August 15, 2025 to unitholders of record as at July 31, 2025. Article content Dream Office REIT is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust. Dream Office REIT is a premier office landlord in downtown Toronto with over 3.5 million square feet owned and managed. We have carefully curated an investment portfolio of high-quality assets in irreplaceable locations in one of the finest office markets in the world. For more information, please visit our website at Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For further information, please contact: Article content Michael J. Cooper Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (416) 365-5145 mcooper@
Borneo Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Sibu MP warns DUN expansion risks becoming GPS' 'political tool'
Oscar Ling SIBU (July 15): Sibu MP Oscar Ling has cautioned that the expansion of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99 seats could become a 'political tool' to strengthen Gabungan Parti Sarawak's (GPS) chances in elections if the redelineation process is not conducted fairly. Ling stressed that state assembly seats are not only meant to represent the voice of the people in each constituency but also serve as a platform for determining who forms the government. 'If the increase in constituencies is merely to ensure every corner has a representative in the state assembly, but ignores the principle of 'one person, one vote', then such delineation can easily be exploited as a political tool to manipulate elections for greater advantage,' he said in a statement. Moreover, Ling said having more seats means the value of each seat may be diluted, especially in a one-party dominant situation. 'With GPS already holding 80 out of 82 seats, any additional seats will mainly serve to appease component parties and consolidate its power. These extra seats will not meaningfully impact GPS's dominance and therefore have little added value,' he claimed. Ling also claimed that based on the unofficial information currently available, constituencies with majority Chinese voters are still too few and do not reflect the true representation of the Chinese community in Sarawak's demographic structure. 'This raises the question of whether this contradicts GPS' stated goal of fairly reflecting the people's representation in different areas. 'Of course, to avoid falling into the trap of racial politics, constituency delineation should ideally adhere to the 'one person, one vote' principle, meaning the population size in each constituency should not differ too greatly. 'This would prevent significant imbalances in seat distribution by ethnicity, which could lead to suspicion among races,' he said. Noting that Sarawak already has 82 state seats, Ling said if increasing parliamentary seats is the goal, then under the premise that each parliamentary seat consists of two state seats, the current 82 seats are sufficient to form 41 parliamentary constituencies. 'This would mean adding 10 new parliamentary seats to the existing 31, which would help Sarawak and Sabah push for the one-third parliamentary seat share in the future,' he added. Ling also criticised the state government's claim that increasing state seats would effectively promote local development, arguing that this is not necessarily true. 'The current method of using Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) funds to drive rural development is not ideal, as projects vary greatly in quality and lack long-term planning.' He suggested that the government should consider establishing a rural transformation agency to oversee proper planning for rural development instead of letting individual representatives carry out scattered, uncoordinated projects. Ling also pointed out that more people from rural areas, especially the younger generation, are migrating to cities. 'Therefore, urban areas must become a key focus for Sarawak's future development, and the number of state seats should reflect urban population density. 'If constituency delineation continues to be based primarily on land area, urban areas will often be neglected.' He called for a review of the state's previous 60/40 rural-urban development ratio, noting that people of all ethnicities are moving to cities in search of better lives. 'After all, Sarawak's future development will focus more on technology and green energy industries,' he added. Ling emphasised that electoral delineation must be based on upholding the spirit of democracy, using constituency delineation to better demonstrate a progressive and mature democratic system — not to be exploited as a political tool.
Borneo Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Sibu MP warns DUN expansion risks GPS 'political tool'
Oscar Ling SIBU (July 15): Sibu MP Oscar Ling has cautioned that the expansion of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) from 82 to 99 seats could become a 'political tool' to strengthen Gabungan Parti Sarawak's (GPS) chances in elections if the redelineation process is not conducted fairly. Ling stressed that state assembly seats are not only meant to represent the voice of the people in each constituency but also serve as a platform for determining who forms the government. 'If the increase in constituencies is merely to ensure every corner has a representative in the state assembly, but ignores the principle of 'one person, one vote', then such delineation can easily be exploited as a political tool to manipulate elections for greater advantage,' he said in a statement. Moreover, Ling said having more seats means the value of each seat may be diluted, especially in a one-party dominant situation. 'With GPS already holding 80 out of 82 seats, any additional seats will mainly serve to appease component parties and consolidate its power. These extra seats will not meaningfully impact GPS's dominance and therefore have little added value,' he claimed. Ling also claimed that based on the unofficial information currently available, constituencies with majority Chinese voters are still too few and do not reflect the true representation of the Chinese community in Sarawak's demographic structure. 'This raises the question of whether this contradicts GPS' stated goal of fairly reflecting the people's representation in different areas. 'Of course, to avoid falling into the trap of racial politics, constituency delineation should ideally adhere to the 'one person, one vote' principle, meaning the population size in each constituency should not differ too greatly. 'This would prevent significant imbalances in seat distribution by ethnicity, which could lead to suspicion among races,' he said. Noting that Sarawak already has 82 state seats, Ling said if increasing parliamentary seats is the goal, then under the premise that each parliamentary seat consists of two state seats, the current 82 seats are sufficient to form 41 parliamentary constituencies. 'This would mean adding 10 new parliamentary seats to the existing 31, which would help Sarawak and Sabah push for the one-third parliamentary seat share in the future,' he added. Ling also criticised the state government's claim that increasing state seats would effectively promote local development, arguing that this is not necessarily true. 'The current method of using Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) funds to drive rural development is not ideal, as projects vary greatly in quality and lack long-term planning.' He suggested that the government should consider establishing a rural transformation agency to oversee proper planning for rural development instead of letting individual representatives carry out scattered, uncoordinated projects. Ling also pointed out that more people from rural areas, especially the younger generation, are migrating to cities. 'Therefore, urban areas must become a key focus for Sarawak's future development, and the number of state seats should reflect urban population density. 'If constituency delineation continues to be based primarily on land area, urban areas will often be neglected.' He called for a review of the state's previous 60/40 rural-urban development ratio, noting that people of all ethnicities are moving to cities in search of better lives. 'After all, Sarawak's future development will focus more on technology and green energy industries,' he added. Ling emphasised that electoral delineation must be based on upholding the spirit of democracy, using constituency delineation to better demonstrate a progressive and mature democratic system — not to be exploited as a political tool.
Daily Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Time to add up to 17 more seats: Jeffrey
Published on: Monday, July 14, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jul 14, 2025 By: Iskandar Dzulkifli Text Size: Jeffrey said the proposal serves as a stepping stone to increase the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah in the future, particularly in the Borneo region. Kota Kinabalu: Parti Solidariti Tanah Air Ku (Star) has proposed adding 14 to 17 new State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats in Sabah. Party President Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said this follows the recent approval of additional DUN seats in Sarawak and Sabah should take similar action. 'Since Sarawak has started (passed the Bill to add DUN seats), we should do the same thing. I will raise this issue at the coming Cabinet meeting. 'My estimate is that between 14 and 17 new seats need to be added,' he said when met at the 'Oppa' Film Screening on Scam Awareness at the Marina Club, Sunday. Also present was Luyang Star Division Chief Eliza Leong, who is also Persatuan Inspirasi Sabah President who organised the event. Jeffrey, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said the proposal serves as a stepping stone to increase the number of parliamentary seats in Sabah in the future, particularly in the Borneo region. He noted that Sabah and Sarawak currently have 25 and 31 parliamentary seats respectively, representing about 25 per cent of the total 222 parliamentary seats. 'This means Peninsular Malaysia already has more than a two-thirds advantage (in parliament), while Sabah-Sarawak only have 56 parliamentary seats and we have agreed to change this situation. 'Before that, we need to first increase the number of DUN seats in Sabah and we expect an addition of around 34 new parliamentary seats (in Sabah), in my opinion,' he said. In another development, Jeffrey hopes the Technical Meeting on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) scheduled for today (July 14) will reach a resolution on the issue of returning 40 per cent net revenue to Sabah. He said this should be fulfilled as stipulated in the Federal Constitution and implemented, but the matter has been dragging on for more than 40 years without the required five-yearly review. 'The 40 per cent net revenue is not about petroleum royalty, this involves revenue from all sources such as business and so on obtained from Sabah and the Federation. 'Sixty per cent belongs to the Federal Government, while 40 per cent returns to us (Sabah) and the Federal Government must determine an appropriate amount (for that 40 per cent) and Sabah will also present the amount based on records,' he said. 'Therefore, I hope the MA63 Technical Meeting will reach a resolution on this 40 per cent issue and subsequently implement it as stipulated in the Constitution,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Borneo Post
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Senator Abun Sui calls for new state seat between Telang Usan and Belaga
Senator Abun Sui Anyit KUCHING (July 13): Senator Abun Sui Anyit hopes one of the 17 new state seats for Sarawak will be located between Telang Usan and Belaga districts. The PKR Hulu Rajang division head said this area – home to Orang Ulu communities like the Kenyah, Kayan, Penan, Punan, and Sekapan – is vast and among the most remote and logistically challenging in Sarawak. He explained these groups reside deep in mountainous terrain, far from administrative hubs, and are in dire need of stronger political representation to ensure their voices are heard in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) and in broader government decision-making. 'If geographical factor is indeed the basis to increase state seats in Sarawak, then it is imperative that one of the new seats is established in Belaga and Telang Usan. 'Belaga district alone covers over 19,400 square kilometres (km) – larger than the combined states of Perlis (821 square km) and Melaka (1,664 square km). 'Yet, this vast district has only one DUN (state) seat (Belaga) and a small portion is in the Murum seat, which makes it extremely difficult for elected representatives to effectively serve the widely scattered rural communities there,' he said in a statement today. He was responding to news reports quoting Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof as saying the increase of state seats from 82 to 99 in Sarawak was in line with the state's geography. On July 7, the State Legislative Assembly passed the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill, 2025 to add 17 new seats. According to Abun Sui, the Election Commission (EC) and the Sarawak government must ensure that this increase in seats is not merely symbolic or political, but truly guarantees inclusivity and justice for all ethnicities and regions, including rural areas which have been underrepresented. 'The people of Belaga district who have sacrificed a lot for the two mega hydroelectric projects — Bakun Dam and Murum Dam — have long hoped for Belaga to be upgraded to the 13th division of Sarawak. The addition of state seats should be seen as an opportunity to start taking steps towards realising this aspiration,' he added. Abun Sui Anyit belaga lead new seats state legislative assembly Telang Usan
