Malaysia has ruled out any American “pressure” in the negotiating process in the much controversial Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as all economies are pressuring each other to agree on certain clauses according to respective law and norms.

“Definitely, there is no such thing such as US pressure,” said Datuk Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, secretary general of the International Trade and Industry Ministry.

She pointed out that Malaysia, in certain cases, will be the sole opponent to some particular negotiating points, which puts intense pressure on other negotiating nations to accommodate Malaysia’s request.

The secretary general, who also supervises Malaysia’s TPP negotiating team, said Malaysia will never succumb to any kind of internal or external pressure in dealing with the agreement as TPP is a vital pact which determines the future of the count ry’s economic progress.

If Malaysia is there at the negotiations to agree on everything, the country would have inked the agreement long t ime ago, Rebecca stressed in a recent interview with The Malaysian Reserve.

She said the Malaysian negotiators are well aware of every progress made in TPP, on whether it jeopardises the nation’s pride, constitution as well as sovereignty.

“If it involves or result in a change to our constitution and sovereignty, we don’t do it. That is how we have negotiated so far and will do moving forward.

“We have done this before in the World Trade Organisation pact, Malaysia is also the founding member of Asean and APEC, where we have been part of the rules drawing process of the organisations and agreements which followed suit.

“TPP is not something out of our norm. But if yet we decide not to sign the agreement, it should be okay. At least we have been part of the negotiations and we know the dynamics of it, in case Malaysia opt to join the pact later,” she said.

Rebecca was responding to a recent WikiLeaks article suggesting that negotiations of the TPP aggrement appear to be at an impasse that may only be unlocked by major sacrifices of national interests by Asia-Pacific members.

Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said the US is ramping up pressure to secure a Trans Pacific Trade Deal with conditions that could undermine the national interests of nations involved, with documents revealed that talks are “paralysed,” with the US refusing to compromise on disputed issues.

The TPP is being negotiated between 12 countries — the US, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei — which represent more than 40% of the world’s gross domestic product.

A key stumbling block was said to be American refusal to yield on the contentious Investor- State Dispute Settlement clause of the agreement, which critics contend would open signatory states to legal action by private corporations if any law is deemed harmful to a firm’s commercial interests.

In Malaysia, the meteoric emergence of anti-TPP movements have battered Malaysia’s effort of justifying the TPP’s benefit to the general public as well as to the country’s economy.

The call to drop the TPP is being led by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, among others.

The government, through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, has commenced two cost-benefit studies, of which the summary and the final draft of the TPP would be presented to the Parliament for approval.

Source: The Malaysian Reserve

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