In early February 2016, Malaysia and eleven other countries signed the TPPA, or its longer name, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. In this several years and months leading up to the final inking of the TPPA, there have been numerous reports of it in both the local and international media.

If you keep up with the news, you would have noticed that there were many anti-TPPA protests going on all over the world, including in our home country. However, the majority of citizens are still largely in the dark about this deal and what it means.
Here, we will attempt to answer some of your most common questions on the TPPA. Let’s begin with the most basic.
What is the TPPA?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a free trade agreement between 12 countries that is lead by the United States under the leadership of its president, Barack Obama. The agreement is actually very long and complex, covering many aspects of the economy. The main objective of the TPPA was to encourage American industry and exports, as well as to create more jobs for American citizens. In short, it was introduced to boost the American economy which was sluggish.

Which are the countries that signed the TPPA?

Apart from the United States of America who initiated this agreement, the other eleven countries are:
• Singapore
• Brunei Darussalam
• New Zealand
• Chile
• Australia
• Peru
• Malaysia
• Vietnam
• Mexico
• Canada
• Japan

Why are some people so against the TPPA?

In Malaysia particularly, there is concern about the differences of development in the countries involved. Half of the participating countries are developed first world countries, like Japan, Canada and America, whereas the other half are developing countries with economies that less robust and stable. The fear is that this free trade agreement will allow large conglomerates to penetrate into local markets and endanger the smaller companies.

Are there other negative effects of the TPPA?

Yes, for one, foreign companies are allowed to challenge local trade regulation laws. For example, if an American company opens its doors in Malaysia, it can legally challenge our laws regarding minimum wages, if they feel that it jeopardizes their business.
Human rights, especially employee rights can be approved and applied without going through local parliament.

Copyright laws, especially strict copyright laws from Japan and the US can be legally applied in all member countries, affecting things like fan art and fan fiction, or even sharing the non-official version of a picture or video of your favourite artiste. There will also be legal limitations on the sharing of information, like books and academic journals.

There is also concern that with the incoming influx of foreign companies, our local environment may be neglected, like forest and green conservation, proper toxic waste disposal, etc.

A major headache is that medicine and medical equipment will cost more as there will be a limited access to generic drugs.

Wow, sounds bad. Why is Malaysia even signing it?

Well, apart from the negative effect, there are many positives for our economy. This includes higher GDP and more exports, especially in the field of textile, apparels, commodities and electronics.