Miti mum on Trans-Pacific deal, Malay panel walks out

The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) walked out of a consultation meeting with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) yesterday after Miti refused to provide information on its secret talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

"It was supposed to be a two-hour meeting but it stopped after 90 minutes. They started the meeting but we ended it.

"It was a 'diplomatic walkout'," MTEM chief executive officer Mohd Nizam Mahshar told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

MTEM has expressed concern that the TPPA, a free trade agreement that includes, among others, Australia, Canada and the United States, would threaten local small- to mediu-scale enterprises and expose Malaysia to lopsided trade conditions.

Nizam lamented that despite Miti insisting that it has consulted stakeholders in the free trade agreement negotiations, there could be no meaningful consultation if the government refused to divulge any information about its negotiations, as the agreement would ultimately impact Malaysian consumers and businesses.

"Miti insists that it has consulted the industry, but what do you mean by consultation?... If the text (of the deal) is not revealed, then consultation cannot be done...

"Even if they cannot provide the text, they should at least give us the substance of what is being negotiated," he said.

Nizam claimed the US advises those in its multi-national corporations and other relevant US representatives on the TPPA, but Malaysian stakeholders are kept in the dark by its own government.

He further noted that during the meeting, Miti officers blamed "NGOs" for misleading the media and opposition on the trade agreement, but it did not specifically mention MTEM.

‘Shooting in the dark'
"It is not about misleading, but our arguments are based on previous free trade agreements and the leaked documents available online, and these have been verified.

"It is not out fault that we are still shooting in the dark because they refuse to reveal any substance of the negotiations," he said.

Providing an example, Nizam said the US viewed the need to provide training and technology transfer in defence sales as a trade barrier that could possibly be removed in the free trade agreement. However, such training is important for developing country like Malaysia.

He also pointed out the lengthening of intellectual property rights under such agreements mean that generic medicine could not be sold, thus increasing the cost of medication.

"This is not an issue about Malay businesses, it is a national issue," he said, adding that MTEM had also roped in medical and environmental groups in its lobby for transparency in the ongoing negotiations and is working to form a broader coalition.

Nizam (right) said the next round of negotiations on the TPPA, the 18th round, will start on July 15 and will be held in Malaysia. MTEM would consider its options on the matter if its consultation with Miti continues to be futile.

"We have heard they do not want to do it in Kuala Lumpur, they want to hold the meetings at somewhere secluded, like Sabah or Sarawak. If there is nothing wrong, why run away?" he asked.

Nizam reminded the government to heed the rakyat's calls for transparency and accountability in the last general election on the TPPA.

"Miti has failed to understand the concept of transparency and accountability, which are highly demanded by the people and reflected in the last general election result.

"If there is no common ground (with Miti on divulging the TPPA negotiations), we will stick to our opposition - that Malaysia should withdraw from the TPPA as it will not benefit our country," Nizam said.

MTEM had presented a 16-point demand to Miti which, among others, included a thorough economic and social impact study of the TPPA, a guarantee that the cost of living would not increase as a result of the agreement and that international trade laws would not supersede Malaysian laws.

'Debate TPPA in Parliament'
Meanwhile, Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) called for the TPPA to be debated in the coming session of the new Parliament, which will hold its first sitting on June 24.

"As Malaysia's involvement in the TPPA is done without public knowledge, Parliament is the right platform to debate the pros and cons of being under the American economic hegemony," Mapim president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said.

Azmi in a statement today called on all the MPs to ensure that the matter is thoroughly debated and not simply decided by the government.