TPPA to be tabled in Parliament after Budget 2016 has been passed

PUTRAJAYA: The tabling and debate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) at the Dewan Rakyat will be done after the Budget 2016 has been passed.

Until then, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed will request for time to explain to lawmakers on Malaysia’s position following the conclusion of the agreement.

The International Trade and Industry Minister said he would discuss with Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia soon on a suitable time.

“I want to brief the MPs on where we stand.

But we will have to go through the Budget session first before we deal with any other business,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Mustapa, who had just arrived from Turkey early yesterday after attending the G20 ministerial meeting, went straight to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting here, where he briefed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Cabinet colleagues on the latest development on the TPPA.

Mustapa did not discount the possibility that a special parliamentary session be called to debate the TPPA, as the understanding was that the TPPA would be brought to Parliament two months after the agreement document is made public.

In the event it is revealed early next month, then the matter can be debated in January.

The next Dewan Rakyat session starts on Oct 19 and ends on Dec 3.

Mustapa said the Cabinet had directed that more engagements be held to explain the TPPA in simple terms so that the laymen could understand the issue.

“The Cabinet is concerned the issue has become political and that people are emotional because they were misinformed. Once the document (agreement) is ready, it will be made available in public domain and they can scrutinise it themselves,” he added.

Mustapa said the TPPA was not only a cause for concern in Malaysia, but a matter that was highly debated in the 11 partners countries.

“We are aware that it is impossible to get 100% support.

“Even the Barisan Nasional MPs in the Dewan Rakyat’s bipartisan TPPA Caucus were sceptical in the beginning.

“I’m convinced they are more supportive now,” said Mustapa.

He also confirmed that a simple majority is needed to have the TPPA passed.

Mustapa said that the countries have two years to ratify this, in which during that time, the Government would look into whether it is necessary to amend any legislation before it takes effect sometime early 2018.