Call to Action to Stop TPP
Starting Saturday, July 25–Friday, July 31st Country leaders and Chief Negotiators for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP)
will be meeting in Hawaii to try to finalise the “free trade” deal
which involves 12 nations in the Pacific Rim. Signatory countries
include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam with the prospect of
adding South Korea, China and The Philippines. The TPP is designed to
set binding rules that allow Multinational Corporations to dominate
industries, land, resources and escape regulation. The TPP undermines
sovereignty, human rights, efforts to create sustainable communities and
limit climate change at the expense of the most marginalised,
particularly women.
The
crafting of this transnational legal regime has all been done behind
closed doors. In the past five years and to this day, parliaments, civil
society, media and the general public are excluded from the negotiating
process. Meanwhile, over 600 US corporate advisors alongside officials
from participating countries have access and influence over the
agreements. But those who have to live with the results have no say.
The
United States has made significant strides over the past few months to
cement this political and economic influence in the Asia Pacific region.
U.S. President Obama was given “fast track” authority over trade deal
negotiations, which empowers the executive branch to sign trade
agreements without congressional oversight, getting rid of any
democratic process that allows lawmakers to analyze and change
provisions in the TPP. In addition, Malaysia’s ranking in the US State
Department Trafficking in Persons Report was recently improved, a clear
manipulation for Malaysia to sign the TPP. There is a law in the United
States that prevents them from entering intro trade deals with nations
that earn the worst human-trafficking ranking. Downgrading Malaysia to
Tier 2 from Tier 3, the worst ranking, allows the United States to enter
into trade deals with Malaysia which was not otherwise possible.
We,
women, civil society organisations and social movements from the Asia
Pacific region have been campaigning for the past two years against the
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and we reaffirm our unequivocal
opposition to the TPP and trade deals that put corporate profits before
public interest. We believe that the TPP will significantly curtail the
rights and freedom of ordinary people as well as the country’s policy
space. We find the secrecy around negotiations particularly alarming,
given the broad scope of provisions and the vast implications for
national and local policies and regulations, particularly relating to
public health, labour and local industry, the environment, and access to
knowledge and technology.
Please join us between July 25 – 31st in
amplifying our collective call for an absolute end to the Trans-Pacific
Partnership Agreement and for the main text to be publicly released. We
know this will expose the TPP for what it is: a rotten deal that trade
people for profit!
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