Saturday, October 17, 2015

Mustapa: MPs must first understand TPPA before deciding



KUALA LUMPUR: International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed wants all Members of Parliament (MPs) to understand the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) before they vote at a special Dewan Rakyat session to be held in January.
Mustapa, who has been busy holding dialogue sessions with various groups in the country since TPPA negotiations was concluded on Oct 5, said the text of the trade deal would be released in the coming weeks.
“We want everyone in Parliament to understand first before deciding. Once a decision is made, no one should question our MPs,” he told reporters after a #TanyaGomen session on TPPA at Platinum Sentral on Friday.
He said that parliamentarians will be given time to read and understand the text before the special session is held.
Mustapa expects that among the concerns of MPs and the public will be the country’s sovereignty and bumiputra rights. He assured that the Government will ensure that both issues will be protected.
Malaysia and 11 other Pacific Rim countries reached a deal on Oct 5 to cut trade barriers and set common standards.
The countries involved in the TPPA -  Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam - form 40% of the world economy.

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