KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is against an early general election so as to allow the country’s economic recovery to proceed unhindered.
The International Trade and Industry Minister said this would allow the positive effects of the nation’s economic recovery to be felt by the rakyat.
“I request that the move to dissolve Parliament is not carried out now.
“The economic indicators are getting better, but we need a little more time so that the economy recovery process can bring positive effects to the rakyat,” he told Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan).
Lim wanted to know whether efforts to amend laws to implement the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would be done after Parliament was dissolved to make way for a general election.
Azmin said that whoever forms the new government after the 15th General Election would implement the CPTPP.
Azmin: ‘We need a little more time so that the economy recovery process can bring positive effects to the rakyat.’ — Bernama
“Nevertheless, if Parliament is dissolved and GE15 is held, I’m confident that the CPTPP will benefit the nation and rakyat,” he said.
He also said that 11 laws were already amended which will allow the country to fulfil its obligations under the CPTPP.
Earlier, to a question by Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera), Azmin said Malaysia had officially ratified the CPTPP and it would come into force on Nov 29 this year.
The CPTPP was signed on March 8, 2018, and has been ratified and implemented in stages by Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam and Peru. The agreement will allow Malaysia to gain priority access to new markets in Canada, Mexico and Peru.
Meanwhile, apart from the CPTPP, Azmin said that Malaysia and Turkiye had inked an agreement on Sept 29 to expand bilateral trade in the services, ecommerce and investment sectors.
He also informed the House that Malaysia would hold talks with the European Union later this month to resume free trade talks which were stalled since 2012.
He added that negotiations were also ongoing to upgrade the Asean-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) and several other Asean-related trade agreements.
