KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — A DAP lawmaker today offered unexpected praise for the government over its engagements with the public as well as MPs from both the opposition and Barisan Nasional (BN) on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.
Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming said he and other federal lawmakers had attended a bipartisan briefing by the International Trade and Industry Ministry on the Pacific free trade treaty Tuesday, before the TPP goes to Parliament for a vote.
“As far as I know, this was the first time since the 13th general election that a minister had arranged for a bipartisan briefing for all MPs for a motion or a bill which we would vote on in Parliament,” Ong said in a statement, referring to Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.
“The minister fielded questions from all MPs during the plenary session. He also said that he would propose that a vote be taken on the TPPA during the special parliamentary debate that will take place on the 26th and 27th of January, 2016.
“He should be commended for organising this special session especially since the TPPA does not require legislative approval in order to be passed. This special parliamentary session will allow MPs from both sides of the aisle to raise important questions and concerns surrounding the TPPA, of which there are many,” the DAP lawmaker added.
Ong also commended the ministry headed by Mustapa for giving public access to the two studies that Putrajaya had commissioned to evaluate the impact of the TPP — the PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Cost Benefit Analysis and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies’ (ISIS) National Impact Assessment.
The TPP, which involves a dozen countries in the Pacific including Malaysia, has sparked concern that the free trade treaty may lead to medicine price hikes and threaten internet freedom.
