KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 – International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said Members of Parliament (MPs) should debate the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in an objectively and professionally at the special sitting of the House on the issue at the end of the month.
“Based on the positive response of the MPs at the briefing session on Tuesday, he was confident that there was no reason for the MPs to not understand the issue nor ask baseless questions at the special session. I am happy because many people had come to ask questions and I had provided all the information to all their questions and they seemed to understand,” he said.
“The question whether they will support or otherwise in Parliament is their right…but what is important is that the debate (special session) is carried out objectively and professionally,” he told reporters after the TPPA briefing session to MPs, here Tuesday.
A three-day special session will be held in Parliament and the Senate beginning Jan 26 to discuss Malaysia’s participation in the TPPA. Malaysia and 11 other nations namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the United States of America and Vietnam finalised the TPPA negotiations on Oct 5 2015.
The contents of the TPPA and two impact studies will be tabled in Parliament as it needs the approval of Parliament before ratification within two years after its signing. Based on the briefing session on Tuesday, Mustapa also concluded that a handful of the MPs understood the TPPA issue only basically, resulting in anxiety and concern being raised particularly with regard to the interests of the country when the agreement is signed soon.
But after being briefed, he said the MPs are happy, in fact some have conceded that the TPPA is not a bad deal after all. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Barisan Nasional Back Benchers Council (BNBBC) Tan Sri Shahrir Samad also advised the MPs against being too emotional in debating the issue.
He also hoped that the people could follow the debate closely to listen for themselves all the explanation on the TPPA so that they would not be easily influenced by various accusations spread by certain parties. In addition, he said the tabling of the TPPA at the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara would see a trade agreement being debated openly which would be historical because it was not a normal practice.
Commenting on the briefing, Dewan Rakyat opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail conceded that the session provided an answer to many of the questions raised. However, she said, this did not change the stand of the opposition to reject the agreement at the upcoming special sitting of Parliament.
