Sabahans ‘clueless’ about TPPA

The surreptitious decision to hold the all important TPPA in Kota Kinabalu to avoid public protest and "free delegates from unnecessary pressures" from citizens may be paying off.

KOTA KINABALU: As the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPA) meetings got underway here amidst a handful of protesting members of PAS and the Gabungan NGO Menuntut Hak Rakyat Sabah (Gegar), one fact was clear, the government had succeeded in deflecting any probable ‘distractions’ to the negotiations by holding it in Sabah.

The surreptitious decision to hold the all important TPPA in Kota Kinabalu had last week drawn the ire of several NGOs and civil society members who described the move as a “calculated ploy” to avoid public protest and “free delegates from unnecessary pressures” from citizens.

If this is indeed the aim, then the federal government achieved it, judging by the lukewarm response the protest has drawn from the general public here who seemed unaware of what the TPPA is.

The protesters at Jalan Gaya yesterday, bearing placards with messages such as ‘For Better Future, Say No to TPPA’, ‘We Are Against TPPA’, and ‘Malaysia Not For Sale’ aside from stoking curiosity, seemed to have achieved little else.

Explaining the TPPA to anyone willing to listen, Sabah PAS Youth chief Lahirul Latigu and Gegar Coordinator Haryady Karmin said the TPPA was a “mysterious agreement” between the Malaysian government and 11 other countries, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States of America, and Vietnam.

Sporting headbands with word ‘Stop TPPA’ written in red, the duo using loudhailers took turns to explain that the government was being shady with details of the TPPA.

They claimed the public were not informed about the agreement and that even Ministers in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s federal cabinet and state administrations were unaware of the TPPA’s existence.

“Don’t you find it odd that there is only limited information available for such a big thing involving international relations with prominent countries?” asked Lahirul.

According to Lahirul, the protesters wanted the government to be transparent about the TPPA.

“We also want the TPPA to be brought to parliament. We don’t want the government to sign the TPPA,” he said.

Dr M against TPPA

Lahirul added that the NGOs and civil society members who were aware of the detrimental nature of the TPPA were “serious” in demanding that the government be transparent with the way “it is handling” the issue.

“There is yet to be any information on what impact the agreement would have on the economy of the country.

Unfazed by the lack of interest among ignorant Sabahans, Lahirul said their aim here was to inform and educate the people.

“Hence, by creating as much awareness as we could, we hope the people will get to know more about Malaysia’s participation in the agreement and the reason, if any, that we should stop it.

“This is not just about the trade industry. This has everything to do with the lives of the 28 million Malaysians and their future! We cannot simply ignore this” he said.

Meanwhile former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has also voiced his objection to the TPPA. According to him, signing the TPPA will bound Malaysia’s ‘hand and foot’ to the Americans.

Mahathir blogged that “…[America] invented TPP, a partnership of unequal, of the strong to take advantage of the weak. This is going to be legally binding. If we breach the agreement, their corporations can sue the government for billions.”

He also pointed out that the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) was set bent on the TPPA despite criticism from all quarters who charge that such an agreement would reduce the public’s access to affordable drugs among others.

The TPPA which involves 12 Asian countries and the United States began their discussions here today.

The 18th round of negotiation is expected to conclude on July 25 with the final agreement expected to be inked in October.