Putrajaya rejected our efforts to engage on TPPA, Pakatan trio to Obama aide
Pakatan Rakyat's efforts to engage with Putrajaya over its concerns and views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) have been rejected, its leaders told US National Security Advisor Susan Rice in a meeting today.
Anwar (pic, left) said he had explained to Rice that PR has voiced its concerns about the TPPA as he believed that Malaysia is a trading nation that must attract foreign direct investment to survive in a challenging global economy.
"Pakatan Rakyat has voiced its concerns about the TPPA, specifically regarding its stipulations about the agricultural sector, pharmaceutical sector and the exposure to complex and costly litigation that Malaysia may face upon signing the agreement," he said in a statement following the 45-minute meeting in Kuala Lumpur today.
The opposition leader added Rice had noted the need to facilitate a broader platform of conversation in Malaysia about the TPPA to ensure all parties involved understand it and so that the negotiation process is more transparent and inclusive.
The meeting was held following the weekend visit by President Barack Obama, who had sent Rice to meet the opposition leader.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also attended the 45-minute meeting.
On strategies to improve bilateral ties between Malaysia and the US, Anwar made a reference to Washington's "comprehensive partnership framework" with fellow neighbours Indonesia and Vietnam.
"In those countries, engagement was truly comprehensive covering trade and commerce, security, education, environment as well as issues of human rights, good governance and democracy."
He proposed that the US create a working group on governance and human rights which includes representatives from civil society and the opposition to strengthen the partnership between Malaysia and the US.
Lim, who is also the Penang chief minister, had highlighted concerns about electoral integrity in Malaysia, noting that despite fraudulent conducts in the 13th general election last year, PR still managed to garner 52% of the popular votes.
"Our party won the popular vote. We should be the governing party. As long as there is no electoral reform, we are very concerned with the direction of democracy in Malaysia," he told Malaysiakini after attending the meeting.
Lim said he told Rice that Anwar was the rightful prime minister, adding that millions of Malaysiansin the country and around the world had protested the outcome of the election.
He added that Rice had reaffirmed Obama's message during his visit that the country must strive to be inclusive and not quash the rights of the minorities here.
In his speech at the University of Malaya yesterday, Obama reminded that non-Muslims in Malaysia should be accorded equal opportunity.
"Malaysia won't succeed if the non-Muslims do not have the same opportunity,” he had said.
Lim said Pakatan was in agreement with Oabama, and added that an inclusive society was imperative to move forward.
"You need both Muslims and non-Muslims. You need everyone, you need an inclusive society to move forward," he said, describing the meeting as "interactive, with dialogue and exchanges".
Meanwhile, Mustafa told The Malaysian Insider that the trio had also asked the US to chastise Malaysia for its "crippled" democracy system and the failure of federalism.
"One of the obvious things is that the Barisan Nasional-led federal government has sidelined the states ruled by the opposition," he said.
He told Rice that the federal government would resort to punishing states controlled by the opposition, such as by withholding development funds and petroleum royalty. – April 28, 2014.
