PUTRAJAYA needs to reject Malaysia’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), said several lawmakers.

Pakatan Harapan lawmakers like PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR’s Wong Chen, and DAP’s Charles Santiago objected to the government going ahead with the deal as they claimed it was a rebranded Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

“It is nothing but a rebranding exercise. The CPTPP doesn’t give any benefits to the poor, terminally ill, women, or even governments,” they said in a statement today.

The MPs added instead of doing good for Malaysia, the CPTPP would bring more harm in terms of access to medicine.

“The CPTPP still requires enforcement of patents including on medicines… which would have adverse implications for access to medicine.

“This would see the cost of life-saving medicines skyrocket as a result of patent protections that safeguard the interests of large pharmaceutical companies at the expense of average Malaysians citizens,” the statement read.

However, international rating agency Moody’s Investor Service said the CPTPP would be beneficial to Malaysia in providing export excess to new markets.

CTTP is a revision of the TPPA without the US to form a mega pact among 11 other nations like Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. – August 16, 2018.