‘Govt to renegotiate trade deal to benefit country’
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is planning to include clauses and policies that will benefit Malaysia in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) before signing its agreement.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said experts were discussing the CPTPP and evaluating whether it would benefit the country.
“We met twice over the past two weeks, and have identified areas that are not in our best interest. We need to renegotiate such matters.
“The agre ement signed by the previous government was binding. It has agreed to make
Malaysia a member of the CPTPP.
“We have reviewed the agreement and found many areas that would lead to a loss to us in our efforts to develop the country.
“We are a developing country, but there are developed countries in the CPTPP as well,” Dr Mahathir said during a question-andanswer session at the Congress on the Future of Bumiputeras and the Nation 2018 yesterday.
The session was moderated by Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.
The CPTPP is a continuation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) initiated by former United States president Barack Obama, which fell through after US President Donald Trump withdrew his country in January last year.
The free-trade agreement was given a new lease of life by Japan. Together with Australia, they hosted several meetings and the agreement was renamed CPTPP.
Last month, Permatang Pauh member of parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar urged the government not to ratify CPTPP.
She said CPTPP would not benefit the poor, terminally-ill patients, women and the government.