No pressure from anyone to sign TPPA

(Bernama) – The government is not being pressured by any party to sign the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) as claimed by certain quarters, the Dewan Negara was told today.

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Hamim Samuri (pic) said the government would ensure that the nation’s and the people’s interests were not compromised in the ongoing negotiations of the trade pact.

“The government will not sign any agreement if it does not benefit the nation.

“The TPPA is still being negotiated. Malaysia’s negotiators have been mandated to continue the negotiations, taking into account the nation’s interests, government policies and Malaysia’s constitution.

“The decision to ink the TPPA hinges on the overall analysis on whether the agreement will yield benefits or will be detrimental to the country,” he said when replying to Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali during question-and-answer session.

TPPA is a free trade agreement being negotiated by 12 countries, including Malaysia, to address new trade issues in the 21st century.

Hamim said outstanding issues that have not been resolved include issues related to government procurements, intellectual property rights, government-owned companies, investor-state dispute settlements, market access and the environment.

“These issues have been brought to the TPP Ministers’ Meeting on Oct 5 to today and to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, tomorrow,” he added.