While most of us were focussed on the massive 1MDB scandal, we were nearly hit by the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Do-or-die TPP negotiations were almost concluded, but thankfully, they were stalled at the last minute by some sticky points.
But this TPP won’t go away so easily: it is not an ordinary ‘trade agreement’. That term ‘trade agreement’ is part of the corporate media propaganda ploy to try and ‘sell’ the TPP deal to a naive public.
So what is the TPP all about? It is just a cover to strengthen the position of Big Business, specifically the powerful transnational corporations. Only six out of 30 chapters deal with trade, the other chapters cover a whole range of issues to protect and further the interests of transnational corporations, the de facto ‘rulers of the world’.
The most insidious feature of the TPP is a provision that gives multinational corporations the power to sue national governments for loss of future profits if their interests are threatened. This is so even if a government had acted to protect public interest and, in the process, hurt the profits of these firms. Worse, these cases are heard in secret, opaque international tribunals.
The US is even pushing for the privatisation of state-owned enterprises.
Ever wondered why the TPP negotiations are being carried out in secret? It is obvious: for the TPP drivers to bulldoze the pact through, the public has to be kept in the dark about its real impact. They certaintly don’t want the public to know about the implications, to ask hard questions and to protest loudly.
Read this important piece which sums it all up: Stop calling the TPP a trade agreement – It isn’t
So what should we call the TPP? How about ‘MNC Protection and Promotion Agreement’?
Here are 10 important reasons why the TPP is bad even for ordinary Americans. 10 reasons the TPP is not a ‘progressive’ trade agreement
| Please help to support this blog if you can. Read the commenting guidlelines for this blog. |
Ask yourself why none in the M’sian Opposition has not let out even a squeak of protest about this atrocity that will eslave us permanently.
If one do care about TPP, one should first of all start in their backyard first. They oppose TPP but they are not against the very act of the CAT govt and its leaders that kowtow to big time corporation and developers. Is not that hypcorisy by some of the commentators here who are just in obsession as a sycophants.
GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan wants Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to clarify whether the state government has alienated a 6,000-acre piece of land to the Boon Siew Group (BSG) in Penang for the purpose of reclamation.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/08/04/clarify-if-land-awarded-to-bsg-for-reclamation-cm-told/
Lim Guan Eng won RM300,000 in damages in a defamation suit against three defendants including Penang Citizens Chant Group (Chant) adviser Prof Dr Jimmy Lim Cheok Siang.
Cheok Siang used defamatory, untruthful and malicious words during a press conference on Dec 6, 2013, causing the ‘defamatory and false statements’ to be published on the FMT website. He had said many historical buildings had been destroyed since Guan Eng became the chief minister.
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/08/04/Lim-Guan-Eng-defamation-suit/
Assuming the USD700 million to Najib’s personal account came from the U.S. government, will Najib reciprocate bysigning the TPPA using the ‘I help you, you help me’ principle?
The U.S. is always good at playing with their ever self-benefiting games. What they have in mind is to fool the world with hegemonic power since after the second world war !
With thirty five USD to an ounce of gold to the broken treaty in Bretton Woods, to creating worldwide warfares(but never in their own soils) and the never ending downtrodden hegemony. Tragically, we are still so meek and dumb up til today !?
If politicians don’t kowtow to big corporations for political funding, there would be no TPP in the first place. This is the problem where money, GDP & economic performance are highly concerned to these politicians. Closely tied to financial handicap is currency manipulation via currency trading, withdrawal of investments (shares, stocks & bonds) & unqualified ratings (at opportune time) from the offices of New York. The other global factor is cheap labor, promoted by ‘hungry’ government of poor or developing countries for quick-fix FDI which comes readily to shores but with T&C at your disadvantages. These gomens corrupted & not… Read more »
Yang Super to request for billion ringgit donation spillover to build RM72K homes on the island???
If building road and tunnel is so good business like the goose lays golden eggs why only 1 or 2 go for it? Who is dunggu? Building English channel tunnel, the cost over run, even hk is expert, the high speed train terminus by the aussies and the bridge to Macau by French and chinese over run by billions. Under fed government everyone very happy except Rakyat as the contract will over price
CAP (not CAT) on the negative impact of TPPA on Malaysian consumers:
http://www.consumer.org.my/index.php/development/public-sector/639-whats-wrong-with-the-tppa
Surprised it’s not debated there…it’s THE topic of the past few weeks in many alternative websites (in the U.S.).
Here’s another article from al-Jazeera:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/07/pacific-rim-free-trade-deal-high-price-150729064048268.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/06/201361711230432720.html
If TPP is bad go to CAT world of smart business with land swapping for road & tunnel project of 27 billions that cost the people 630 billions in the long run. Yes, this is Big Business Corporation Agreement.