Finally, we are heading to the final stage of negotiation regarding Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) after it has been rolled out across the nation since for the last few years. Certainly, whatever decision will be made during the meeting will affect Malaysia’s sovereignty and future.
Even though the Putrajaya has repeatedly given assurance pertaining to the benefit of this agreement, the secrecy surrounding the talks and leaks of draft negotiation documents have fuelled fears about of the pact, which covers investment as well as trade rules and has become a legacy issue for US President Barack Obama.
Moreover, the lack of transparency during the government’s negotiation with large foreign interests means we are in the dark about which of our sovereign rights are being gambled via useless hope of better trade opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
In reality, we are invariably bolstered by the myth of prosperity ‘created’ by the Western countries. We believe ostensibly that the great development of nation are fully formed out of free trade and investment rules, in feats of imagination well towards free competition without any single protection and allowing foreign “involvement” that can determine our nation’s direction.
Conversely, what the actual is neither a sudden breakthrough nor the efficacy of “freedom” solely, it is the result of integrity and good governance practices augmented by strong determination to succeed and followed by robust solidarity among citizens regardless of race and religion.
Yet, we recognize the importance of free trade agreement between nations, as evidenced by the effectiveness of Malaysia-China FTA and other FTAs as well. However, by negotiating TPPA in complete secrecy as well as lack of protection for local people has created a level of public unease.
Looking to the Greece situation for instance, the Greeks wisdom laid in their ability to predict how the “troika” (the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund) would want to manipulate the Greece’s debt issue as a springboard by offering “sincere help” and “sweet promises”. They strongly believed that they can eventually bring down the Greeks government by bullying it into accepting an agreement that contravenes its mandate.
In this situation, Greeks were always prescient whatever stimulated by “troika” is all about the “deadlines” for Greece to knuckle and accept the unreasonable conditions.
Even though, at the outset it is hard for Greeks to decide during the last referendum to choose either “YES” or “NO”, ultimately, they have proved that Greece, with its strong democratic tradition, grasp its destiny in its own hands.
If Greeks were able to do so, why don’t we???
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/tppa-and-what-should-we-learn-from-the-greeks-ahmad-shahir-abdul-aziz
Atom Feed (xml)