TPPA will affect our human rights, worker and trade union rights, environment rights...and now this concern is coming from UN Human Rights Experts...
The whole process of the TPPA is an affront to democracy - how can a Prime Minister or the Government of Malaysia sign an agreement that will affect Malaysia and Malaysians in the future in 'secret' without even full disclosure and discussion with the public...or at the very least our duly elected peoples' representatives?
With the 'break up' of Pakatan Rakyat, 1MDB, and so many other issues, it is easy to get distracted and forget about the TPPA...
Some allege that there has been showing of 'portions' or some parts of the text to few individuals, and then allegedly 'threatening them into silence, saying that legal action using the OSA, etc. will be taken if they open their mouth' is not consulting... 
TPPA is an agreement between governments - and it certainly should not be giving businesses and investors right to take 'legal action' against governments now and the future. The primary concern of a government is the welfare and wellbeing of its people - not just its 'business people' or some rich people or cronies - but all people, every individual and family, every worker and communities...now and in the future. But, when governments get involved in big business activities, governments can easily forget its primary responsibility which is to its people - especially the poor and marginalised...
Malaysian government's dealing with the Malaysian airlines clearly showed us that it is more interested in the wellbeing of the airline business and not so much the workers or their unions - so easily were labour rights stiffled in the interest of business and profits of what will once again be a private public listed company - not even a statutory body, or a wholly owned government entity. So, how can we trust Najib and the BN government with the TPPA...
TPPA - ISDS Clauses - States never win,Only investors win awards ofdamages?
TPPA - Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Clauses - No more improvement in Malaysian life?
For raising minimum wages, Egypt sued by Veolia, a French multinational?
TPPA and ISDS must be a concern for caring Malaysians - Right to know before it is signed?
Malaysians Need to stop Najib until... [TPPA equals holding nations to ransom, warn experts (Malaysiakini) ]
TPPA - Do not let the foreign investor affect the improvement of livelihood, better health/environmental policies and better worker rights
Top UN Human Rights Experts say TPP a concern for human rights: human rights evaluation must precede negotiations
Joint Media Release
June 23, 2015
Español
Geneva ─After ten United Nations experts said that the TPP[1],
the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, and the TTIP, the
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership could potentially harm
human rights, prominent human rights voices in TPP countries sounded
the alarm calling for a halt to further TPP negotiations until proper
human rights impact assessments are done. Amongst others, these include
former Commissioners from the Malaysian and New Zealand Human Rights
Commissions, Oxfam America, The Council of Canadians (Canada),
Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (Australia), Human Rights
Now (Japan), Derechos Digitales (Chile), Health Action International
Peru, The Project of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Mexico).
On June 2nd, 10 United Nations human rights experts
expressed concern about the TPP’s potential adverse impact on human
rights. They recommended that human rights impact assessments (HRIAs)
should be done for the TPP before the negotiations go any further.
They criticized the extreme secrecy around the talks and ISDS, the
Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions which allow foreign
corporations to sue countries over laws and policies which curtail their
profit on investments. The rapporteurs said that this would have a
chilling effect on countries’ ability to enact laws to protect
environmental and social standards.[2]
They also drew attention to the potential detrimental impact these
treaties and agreements may have on the enjoyment of human rights as
enshrined in legally binding instruments, whether civil, cultural,
economic, political or social, saying, ‘Our concerns relate to the
rights to life, food, water and sanitation, health, housing, education,
science and culture, improved labour standards, an independent
judiciary, a clean environment.’
Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb has claimed that TPP negotiations could be concluded in as little as one week.
The TPP is an all-encompassing free trade agreement currently being
negotiated between 12 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile,
Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States
and Vietnam. Social, environmental, and labour regulations, privacy,
medicine costs, public services, financial regulation and farming are
some of the issues affected by this agreement.
Comments from country experts:
Malaysia
Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah, a former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia
(Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (SUHAKAM)) and Deputy
Secretary General of the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights
(Persatuan Promosi Hak Asasi Manusia, PROHAM) said that ‘in light of the
concerns expressed and recommendations by the ten United Nations human
rights experts, SUHAKAM must do a human rights impact assessment on the
TPPA before any further TPPA negotiations are held or decisions are made
on the TPPA. The Malaysian government must provide sufficient funding
to SUHAKAM to conduct such a human rights impact assessment.’
Contact: Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah: mdshaani@gmail.com, mobile phone +6013-3363647
New Zealand
‘The Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand (HRF) is calling
on the New Zealand Human Rights Commission to undertake a human rights
impact assessment for the TPPA (and for the government to adequately
resource the HRC to do so) before TPPA negotiations go any further. This
is in light of concern expressed by 10 United Nations human rights
experts about the TPPA’s potential adverse impact on human rights.’
---Peter Hosking, Chairperson, HRF and former Commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission
Contact: Peter Hosking, mobile phone: +6421660275
Japan
Kazuko Ito, the Secretary General of Japan based Human Rights Now (http://hrn.or.jp/eng/)
said that ‘the concerns raised by the UN experts deserve the utmost
consideration at the TPPA negotiation table. We are gravely concerned
that the negotiation process totally excludes communities which may be
affected, and denies rights to information and participation. Further
we are concerned that a wide range of human rights protection in Japan
will be at stake as a result of the negotiation, especially in relation
to the ISDS section. Japan should make all necessary efforts to prevent
any deterioration of the human rights situation for people potentially
affected by the TPPA.’
Contact: Kazuko Ito, info@hrn.or.jp, +81-3-3835-2110
Peru
Javier Llamoza, from Acción Internacional para la Salud de Perú
(Health Action International, Peru), said that ‘the TPP is a major new
obstacle to Peru’s ability to meet the need for treatment to which all
people are entitled, and to improve the care provided by the public
health system, which primarily serves the poor and extremely poor. The
human right to health is seriously threatened by this agreement.’
Contact: Javier Llamoza, Acción Internacional para la Salud - Red Ge, mobile phone: +51998603206, javierllamoza@aislac.org
Australia
‘The UN rapporteurs’ statement underlined the concerns of Australian
community organisations that the TPP could have a negative impact on
many areas of human rights. The TPP text should be released now to
enable a full Human Rights Impact Assessment of the TPP,’ said Dr Patricia Ranald Coordinator of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET).
Contact: Dr Patricia Ranald, AFTINET, campaign@aftinet.org.au, mobile phone: +61 419 695 841
Canada
‘Human rights are the fundamental basis for all societies. It is
essential that we know the true human cost of such agreements before we
even consider them. Considering the scope and power of the TPP, and how
most of us have no access to the details, it is definitely concerning
that governments don’t stop and consider what they are getting into.
Another round of negotiations is ludicrous in this context.’
--- Maude Barlow, National Chairperson, Council of Canadians, Canada
Contact: Leila Marshy, Media Relations, Council of Canadians, mobile phone +1613 618-4761
Chile
‘If democracy is really about the active participation of the
citizens in political decisions and the protection of their basic human
rights, then the TPP is one of the greatest threats to democracy right
now. And not just because it is decided behind people’s backs, but
because it sets in stone the rules about how our public decisions in
critical sectors of our space will be made.’
--- Claudio Ruiz, Derechos Digitales (Chile)
Contact: Vladimir Garay, Derechos Digitales, phone: (+56 2) 2702 7108; prensa@derechosdigitales.org
USA
‘At best, trade can be an engine for poverty reduction. At worst,
free trade agreements like the TPP can undermine universal human rights.
The devil is in the details, and the details on the TPP are still
secret. But the leaked texts signal the worst case scenario. Oxfam
welcomes the engagement of UN experts and agrees that only a full human
rights impact assessment will show whether the agreement is written to
benefit special interests or the wider public interest.’
--- Stephanie Burgos, Economic Justice Policy Manager, Oxfam America
Contact: Laura Rusu, Policy & Campaigns Media Manager Oxfam America, office phone: +1 (202) 496-1169, mobile phone: +1 (202) 459-3739
Mexico
‘In the discussion on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and labor
rights it is fundamental that the signing states retake the concept of
“decent work”, from the International Labour Organisation, as a way to
ratify their obligation to guarantee the respect of labor rights (decent
income, safe working conditions, social security, liberty to free
association, among the most important). For Mexico, the signing of the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is the closest
reference for what may occur with the implementation of the TPP, led to
the implementation of structural reforms that have meant the loss of
fundamental human rights such as: the right to work, the right to
unionize, the right to have access to decent income, the right to just
working conditions and to access justice.
The signing of these trade agreements, in which transnational
corporations play a determining role, shall, as a consequence, cause the
implementation of policies, translated into structural reforms, which
shall increase violations of rights and lead to the government’s failure
to fulfil its principle obligations: to protect, respect and guarantee
human rights.’
--- Alejandra Ancheita, Executive Director of ProDESC (The Project of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Mexico)
Contact: Adriana Aguilar, ProDESC, adriana@prodesc.org.mx, office phone: +52 (55) 5212 2230 and +52 (55) 5212 2229, mobile phone: +52 1 55 15 03 24 10
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