KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 – A member of Parliament had been promoted on today that the words ‘kiasu’ and ‘kiasi’ in describing the necessary attitude that should be adopted by Malaysians in the issue of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
“Malaysians should practice a ‘kiasu’ attitude, which means to be unwilling to surrender or having a high level of competitiveness and would do almost anything to win. We want to fight for the best for our country and I’m confident that our negotiators will always hold a ‘kiasu’ attitude in negotiating with other countries,” Datuk Liang Teck Meng (BN-Simpang Renggam) said during the debate on the TPPA motion at the special Dewan Rakyat sitting here.
The same attitude, he said should also be practiced by the people to turn the country into a fully developed nation. All quarters should have faith in the country’s capability and competitiveness, he said, adding that a closed door policy in economy would not do the country any good. At the same time, Liang said Malaysians should reject the ‘kia’ (fear) and ‘si’ (death) or the ‘kiasi’ attitude which means a coward or afraid to take chances of risks.
“This is the attitude that has to be rejected because by being ‘kiasi’, we will not develop a culture of striving for excellence. There were certain quarters who were afraid of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in the TPPA, even though it was not something new,” he said.
So far, Malaysia had signed 74 bilateral investment agreements and eight FTAs which contained ISDS mechanism. Liang also stressed that the TPPA would benefit Malaysia in the long run and for that, the country had to adapt to the rapidly developed and inter-connected economy and international trade environment.
Meanwhile, Datuk Wira Ahmad Hamzah, who is the chairman of Parliamentary Caucus Committee on TPPA, said Malaysia should grab the opportunity to be among the first countries to join the TPPA and to enjoy the privileges, including to have the national interests and sensitivities be taken into account.
The TPPA is a new millennium’s memorandum of understanding, which will be signed even without Malaysia’s participation, said the BN-Jasin MP when debating the motion. He said the TPPA was not another trade issue, but instead comprised several new scopes, including good governance, transparency, anti-corruption efforts and environmental standards, and the wellbeing of workers would not be exploited by profit-driven trade activities.
He said he had been see the content of the TPPA as a wake up call for countries which depend on trade, such as Malaysia, to be more concerned and prepared in facing the new challenges of the 21st century. He was also confident that the government was making the right decision to join the TPP negotiation since 2010.
Debating the same motion, Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) praised the government’s effort to bring the TPPA to Parliament and the International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed’s expertise in handling the issue. He said they had give credit (to the minister) for the expertise and for the willingness (of the government) to hold this special session. I hope it will become a practice.
Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR-Pantai Dalam) in her debate raised the issue of ISDS mechanisms in the TPPA. She said the government should do an in-depth study on the ISDS aspects to ensure that it would not affect the government and workers group.
