Malaysia only country to table TPPA in Parliament - Mustapa

Malaysia is the only country out of the 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), to be tabling it in Parliament before it is signed.

However, International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said Malaysia has not made a decision on the deal.

“Only the Members of Parliament will decide whether to sign the agreement or not,” he told Dewan Rakyat when tabling the motion of Malaysia’s participation in the TPPA.

If approved by Dewan Rakyat, 26 amendments have to be made to 17 laws to take into account some of the agreements reached by the countries involved in the TPPA.

"A period of two years is necessary for us to make some amendments to the relevant laws and regulations before they can be ratified," he said.

"These amendments do not affect key policies such as Bumiputera agenda. On the contrary, these amendments generally aim to adopt best practices in the matter of labour, the environment and intellectual property rights," he said.

He said Malaysia's involvement in the TPP does not mean that the government ignored the World Trade Organisation (WTO) because Malaysia still believes it is the most important platform to enhance trade relations between the countries of the world.

"The WTO has 162 member countries and initiatives such as the WTO Doha Development Agenda that began in 2001 until today have yet to bear fruit.

"We cant wait for the Doha Development Agenda to end before we engage in any FTA. This is not a smart move. If we wait until the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda, we will not be able to sign a new FTA," he said.