Malaysia will not sign any TPP pact in Hawaii
PETALING JAYA: As pivotal negotiations in the making or breaking of
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) enter the final stretch, the
Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) has stated that
Malaysia will not sign any agreement during the current round of talks,
which runs until July 31, and sought to reassure critics that it will
stand firm on issues of sovereignty, government procurement, state-owned
enterprises and the bumiputra agenda.
The latest TPP Ministerial Meeting began on Tuesday in Hawaii, USA.
"Signing of the TPPA (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) will not
happen in Hawaii. Like Malaysia, each TPPA member will need to go
through its own domestic process before a final decision to sign and
ratify the TPPA is made," Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said in a
statement released yesterday.
"I wish to emphasise that as the Minister-in-charge of the TPPA
negotiations for Malaysia, it is my responsibility to ensure that our
Constitution, sovereignty and core policies of the nation, including the
interests of the Bumiputera community are safeguarded and upheld,"
said, adding that the meeting is also to ensure that the country’s
interests and concerns are addressed.
In acknowledging criticism against the ongoing TPPA negotiations,
Mustapa also addressed known concerns on the inclusion of the
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, government
procurement, capital controls, medicines, market access, position of
Islam as the official religion of Malaysia and the secrecy of the
negotiations.
On the ISDS, he said the TPPA does not prevent governments from
pursuing and regulating legitimate public policy objectives, especially
in areas such as national security, public health environment and
welfare and that a number of safeguards are being negotiated to address
key concerns, including the avoidance of frivolous challenges by
investors.
- "Signing of the TPPA will not happen in Hawaii. Like Malaysia, each TPPA member will need to go through its own domestic process before a final decision to sign and ratify the TPPA is made," Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said in a statement released yesterday.
