[NEW UPDATE] #TPPA: Storm Brewing Over Obama's Visit On Oct 11
Malaysia is currently negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) with the US and nine other countries to open up the economies of the Asia-Pacific and changing the way trade and investments are regulated in the region. The TPPA countries currently participating in the negotiations and seek to conclude and sign the agreement by October 2013! So what’s wrong with the TPPA?
By Mei Mei Chu — 07 Jun 2013, 08:30 AM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Wikileaks Exposé On TPPA Set To Create More Protests
Pressure is set to mount on Putrajaya over the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) after whistleblower group WikiLeaks released portions of the secretive trade deal that support fears it may force Malaysians to pay more for medicine.
yahoo.comAccording to the draft of Intellectual Property (IP) Rights chapter published online by WikiLeaks, the United States — seen as the key driver of the deal — is pushing for a five-year ban against the introduction of generic equivalents to patented medicine.
This would also apply from the date a drug undergoes marketing approval in the signatory state, rather than from the date it was originally patented.
malaysiandigest.com
In Article QQ.E.16 titled “Submission of Information or Evidence Concerning the Safety or Efficacy of a New Pharmaceutical Product”, it was proposed that a country shall not “authorise a third person to market a same or a similar product” in its territory for at least five years from the date of the approval given to the original product.
malaysiaedition.net
This may prolong the period that cheaper generic versions of the drug cannot be made available, a fear that members of the medical fraternity and opposition lawmakers opposed to the murky trade deal have previously voiced.
yahoo.comIn August, Putrajaya vowed to reject any proposal that would block Malaysians from accessing affordable medicine in the agreement, noting widespread concerns raised over a likely surge in healthcare prices should the trade deal be formalised.
malaysiandigest.com
Minister of International Trade and Industry urges Malaysians not to demonstrate against Obama when he visits Malaysia on Oct 11
The government is urging Malaysians not to hold demonstrations against US President Barack Obama over the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement during his official visit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 11.
International Trade and Industry Minister (Miti) Mustapa Mohamed said the government is well aware of some demonstrations being planned by anti-TPPA groups, to be staged during Obama’s visit.
“There is no reason for the groups to hold the protest as negotiations for the TPP agreement are far from settled.
"I would also stress that President Obama's visit to Malaysia has nothing to do with the TPPA and he is not coming here to ink the agreement as claimed by certain quarters," he told Datuk Dr Makin Marcus Mojigoh (BN-Putatan) during Question Time.
thestar.com.myDatuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the TPPA talks have yet to be concluded and assured Malaysians that Putrajaya will not sign if it compromised the country’s sovereignty or Bumiputera rights.
themalaysianinsider.com
On October 11, Obama will attend the Kuala Lumpur 4th Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a US initiative to reach out to the Muslim world. It will be the first visit by a US president to Malaysia in 47 years, after the late President Lyndon B. Johnson's visit in October 1966.
themalaysianinsider.com
Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia says they will protest against Obama despite Miti's warning
A protest planned against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) during President Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia next month will go ahead, snubbing Putrajaya’s call to the public yesterday not to hold such protests.
yahoo.comThe pro-opposition Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) will continue with their protests against Malaysia's participation in the TPPA, saying it wants to highlight the public's rejection of the ongoing negotiations.
yahoo.com"The protests against Obama's visit will continue at KLCC on Oct 11. On Oct 10, the summit of the #Bantah Obama #Tolak TPPA will be held at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kampung Baru where Dr Mahathir and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be invited to voice their opinions against the TPPA,” SAMM propaganda director Edy Noor Reduan said in a statement today.
themalaysianinsider.com
NGO to protest on Friday, 23 August 2013
“We are hoping that the big rally this Friday will capture Putrajaya’s attention,” he said.
Loh warned the government of a bigger rally during US President Barack Obama’s visit to Malaysia in October if Putrajaya ignored their concerns.
The protesters will gather outside the Tabung Haji building in Jalan Tun Razak at 2.15pm before marching to the embassy to submit a memorandum in protest of the agreement.
As another round of talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) began yet again behind closed doors, Badan Bertindak Bantah TPPA issued a joint statement expressing their position and the grave concerns that they have as Malaysians.
Image via wp.com“We have been waiting for a drastic move from the government but until now there is no change,” Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) spokesman Abdul Muqit Mohammad told a press conference here. “Therefore, we have no choice but to proceed with the rally."
What are the NGOs concerned about? Bantah TPPA, a coalition of people-based organisations - wishes to highlight these issues and concerns which we fear will materialise if the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) [CLICK TO READ]
themalaysianinsider.com
Who are the NGOs? Complete list here: Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Aliran)
Badan Gabungan Negeri
BLINDSPOT, etc.
Malaysia delays TPPA to conduct two studies on the national impact of the TPPA and bumiputera SME business owners
Malaysia's plan to run two cost-benefit analyses (CBA) is likely to delay the Washington-led Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). One of the CBA will study TPPA's effect on national interests, while the other focuses on small and medium-scale enterprises and the bumiputra business community.
themalaymailonline.com
One study will focus on overall impact of the trade pact on the national interest. The other will examine how the interests of small and medium companies and of those businesses owned by indigenous population would be affected if the TPP free-trade comes into force.
High on the priority is the concern that Malaysia will have to sacrifice its affordable, government-regulated healthcare and medicine.
themalaymailonline.com
Under the wide-ranging pact, TPP members are expected to reduce subsidies, eliminate favorable treatment in government procurement and end other advantages that state-linked enterprises enjoy.
The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) says rejecting TPPA will put Malaysia at a disadvantage
The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) is having an open day to explain the pact that potentially covers an 800 million-strong market across 12 nations when it is completed as early as this October.
themalaysianinsider.com
Malaysia will be at a disadvantage in terms of seeking a bigger market access for its products if the country decides to abandon the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA ), the International Trade and Industry ministry (MITI) said today.
"The successful conclusion of the TPP will form a huge duty free market of 800 million people with a combined GDP of US$27.5 trillion. This far surpasses Malaysia’s limited domestic market of 29.5 million people and a GDP of US$300 billion," it added.
themalaysianinsider.com
“The TPPA offers Malaysia the opportunity to be part of a duty-free consumer market that has 800 million people.” “Abandoning the TPPA negotiations now would mean allowing other countries to set the terms of the agreement without having to consider the interests and concerns of Malaysia,” he said.
f8.my"Malaysia has made it clear that the Agreement MUST NOT have a negative impact on the healthcare of Malaysians. Malaysians must continue to receive quality healthcare and have access to affordable medicines, including generic drugs. The TPP will have to work around these priorities," it said.
themalaysianinsider.com
“Also, there is a lot of secrecy because negotiators do not want to publicly disclose their bargaining positions to ensure the best outcome during the negotiations,” he said.
TPPA: 200 rally against ‘colonisation’
Some 200 members of the Gabungan Bantah FTA (Anti-FTA Coalition) braved the morning heat to rally against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) deal today, claiming the controversial deal would lead to the colonisation of Malaysia.
The crowd gathered outside Parliament while chanting slogans such as “America, go back, leave Malaysia”, and brandishing homemade placards that read ‘People before patents’ and ‘Patients before profits’.
Malaysia will not sign the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) if it is against national interest, assures International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (pix).
thestar.com.myTrans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is a free trade agreement between 9 countries
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is a free trade agreement between 9 countries
Image via publicknowledge.orgTPPA stands for Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and is also known as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement. It is a multilateral free trade agreement currently being negotiated by 11 countries, led by the US. Malaysia is one of the parties negotiating in the TPPA.
najistppa.orgThe Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is an FTA initiative involving eleven (11) countries, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam
The objective of the negotiations is to develop an Free Trade Agreement agreement which will be able to adapt and incorporate current issues, concerns and interests.
It aims to further liberalise the economies of the Asia-Pacific region. Covering a broad spectrum of areas and has 29 chapters (and counting), some areas affect our public health, environment and courts system.
najistppa.orgThere have been numerous rounds since negotiations began in March 2010. They originally aimed to finish it in late 2011; now they say Oct 2013.
wordpress.com
People around the world are protesting against it, what's wrong with the TPPA?
It is conceived and promoted by the United States of America. Apparently TPP is yet another scheme by the United States to penetrate the markets of the fast growing and rich Eastern countries (Pacific Rim).
blogspot.com
If negotiations for the TPPA succeed they will create a mega-treaty across nine or more countries that puts a straightjacket on the policies and laws our government can adopt for the next century and give massive new powers to corporations.
wordpress.com
TPP raises significant concerns about citizens’ freedom of expression, due process, innovation, the future of the Internet’s global infrastructure, and the right of sovereign nations to develop policies and laws that best meet their domestic priorities.
The TPP suffers from a serious lack of transparency, threatens to impose more stringent copyright without public input, and pressures foreign governments to adopt unbalanced laws.
tppinfo.org
Leaked draft texts of the agreement show that the IP chapter would have extensive negative ramifications for users’ freedom of speech, right to privacy and due process, and hinder peoples' abilities to innovate.
Malaysia's involvement with the TPPA according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry
The rational behind for Malaysia’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement may be attributable to the herd mentality that surrounds regional trade agreements.
globalresearch.caThe TPP accounts for a third of Malaysia's global trade. Together with Malaysia's other FTAs, this would increase Malaysia's share of global trade covered under preferential treatment to above 70 per cent.
The TPP could be perceived as the primary vehicle for advancing economic cooperation and investment liberalisation in the Asia Pacific region.
Although Malaysia has FTA agreements with most of the TPP members, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a positive step towards deeper integration within the Asia Pacific region and would allow Malaysia to engage the US, which remains an important trading partner and source of investment.
The impact of TTP on Malaysia (Click on image for explanation)
The TPPA could have serious implications for environmental laws and regulations. It may constrain the ability of the government to implement measures and policies to protect public health and environment.
Image via najistppa.org
The entire TPPA is subject to Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). This means that the government of a country can be sued at the biased international tribunal ICSID (International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes) for unlimited damages based on estimated loss of profits.
Image via najistppa.org
The TPP may restrict the ability of governments to use controls on the flow of capital as part of a broader range of policies to prevent and/or mitigate financial crises. Even though finance experts and institutions such as the International Monetary Fund has acknowledged the role of capital controls to stabilize economies, the use of such controls by the Malaysian government may subject it to legal suits by investors who seek to guarantee the free flow of their money into and out of countries – even though their actions may bring about financial and currency instability, destroy jobs and affect the social and economic welfare of millions of people as experience in the 1997 and 2007/2008 financial crises.
Image via najistppa.org
The TPP may make it harder for computer users to make even “buffer” (temporary) copies of documents; download music; and Internet Service Providers may be able to bar users from the Internet for violation of copyright. ISPs are encouraged to implement measures like ‘three strikes’ after which users are barred from the internet for infringement offences.
Image via najistppa.org
With the TPPA, access to affordable, life-saving medicines for millions of people is under threat as big pharmaceutical companies seek higher protections for their patents and clinical data and to make it harder for generic companies to produce affordable generic medicines.
Image via najistppa.org
While ostensibly it is about trade, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) goes far beyond the trade of goods and services. It will affect the health, social, economic, political, civic, educational and cultural future of Malaysia’s 28 million people.
ftamalaysia.orgTPP contains provisions concerning infringements of Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights ranging from basic pharmaceuticals to digital information online. These provisions would result in the increased costs of medicines.
TPP confers greater legal rights on foreign businesses than those available to domestic businesses. It allows foreign corporations to circumvent laws enacted by our Government in public interest.
Dr M says Malaysia should not join the TPP Agreement
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will join the Malay Economic Action Council’s (MTEM) campaign to call on the Najib administration to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), a free-trade agreement led by the United States.
Datuk Syed Ali Mohamed Allatas called the agreement a threat to Malaysia’s economy and sovereignty, arguing that Malay businesses would be the most impacted should Putrajaya pen the deal which detractors claimed could expose Malaysia to a “new form of domination”.
“It is a new form of domination. Our economy will be shared by others. We will share the sovereignty of our country,” Syed Ali told reporters here.
MTEM sekali lagi mahu mengulangi desakannya sebagaimana yang telah disiarkan didalam kenyataan media kami bertarikh 14hb Mei 2013; iaitu agar Malaysia keluar dari Pakatan Perjanjian Trans-Pasifik (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, TPPA).
aliffbasri.comConsumer groups say Malaysia MUST withdraw NOW
Our future generation’s life and livelihood would be in jeopardy if we are not careful in what the Government is signing us up for. —Consumers Association of Penang (CAP)
consumer.org.my
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) today urged the federal government to withdraw from any Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) agreement, claiming negative impacts were being negotiated in the TPPA.
“It would be a mistake to sign onto a legally-binding treaty which can only be reneged at the costs of considerable international legal suits, settlements and further negotiations. It is not too late for Malaysians to withdraw from the TPPA,” he told reporters at a press conference, here.
bernama.com.my
A reported proposal by Malaysia, that governments which become party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) should exempt companies from providing proprietary formulas for their products, has sparked concern among the local consumer movement here.
Crazy stuff happening around you? Facebook or Tweet us! We'll feature it on SAYS
[CLICK ME!] Reach us at Facebook here, comment, share, and send us crazy happening stuff around you and we will feature it on SAYS!
facebook.com
[CLICK ME TOO!] Today's top stories remixed with the best videos, pictures, polls, & perspectives. Got something cool happening around you that you want to share with the world? Send it to us and we will do it for you!
twitter.com