MP dares Najib to show how TPP makes M’sia ‘competitive’

by  Sheith Khidhir Bin Abu Bakar     November 18, 2015    Source : Free Malaysia Today 

PETALING JAYA: The prime minister has been challenged by an Opposition MP to show the people exactly how the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will make Malaysia more competitive than it is now.

Speaking to FMT, Charles Santiago (DAP-Klang) said neither Prime Minister Najib Razak nor International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed had backed their claims of competitiveness with any solid facts.

“They have not backed their claims on why Malaysia would be more competitive. Repeating the word competitive over and over will not make the country competitive,” he said.

Opposition MPs cry foul over minister’s misleading explanations on TPP medicine patents

November 12, 2015     Source : The Malay Mail Online

PETALING JAYA, Nov 12 — Opposition lawmakers criticised trade minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed today for apparently misrepresenting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement on the length of drug patents.

They pointed out that drug patents and data exclusivity were extended to eight years in the Pacific free trade treaty, not five as the international trade and industry minister previously announced.

“So that means our minister, who has signed the agreement, doesn’t know what is in the agreement. This is horrifying,” Klang MP Charles Santiago said today at the PKR headquarters.

TPPA - did minister mislead public on medicine costs?

by Koh Jun Lin     Published 12 Nov 2015    Source : Malaysiakini

Opposition members of the parliamentary caucus on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) have accused International Trade and Investment Minister Mustapa Mohamed of misleading the public on its impact on the cost of medicines.

They said that while Mustapa told the public that Malaysia had only been granted a five-year protection period for clinical trial data, the TPPA actually stipulates two options.

These being that TPPA partners may either provide an eight-year data protection or a five-year protection data accompanied with other measures that would have the same effect as an eight-year data protection period.

TPPA: Who are the winners and losers?

 FMT Reporters   November 9, 2015   Source : Free Malaysia Today 

KLANG: Klang MP Charles Santiago today demanded that Prime Minister Najib Razak explain his statement about the inevitability of some countries losing out in any free trade agreement (FTA).

He was referring to Najib’s recent remark that “there will be winners and losers in the process, but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages of FTAs.”

Speaking at a press conference, Santiago said Najib and International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed must pinpoint for the public who would be the winners and losers in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and explain how the losers would be compensated.

Is TPPA legal, human-rights compliant, asks MP

by Zikri Kamarulzaman     Published 9 Nov 2015    Source : Malaysiakini

A DAP lawmaker wants the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) and the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) to review the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Klang MP Charles Santiago said this was to ensure that the free trade agreement complied with Malaysian laws.

This is especially for the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) chapter, which allows foreign investors to sue governments over public policy.

TPPA language too technical, says Klang MP

by  Sheith Khidhir Bin Abu Bakar   November 9, 2015    Source : Free Malaysia Today

KLANG: Klang MP Charles Santiago has urged the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to translate the contents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) into layman’s Malay, Tamil and Mandarin.
Speaking at a press conference, Santiago noted that the contents of the agreement had been made available online, but he complained that it had not been translated from English and that it used too much jargon even in its English version for most members of the public to understand.

“First of all not everyone in the country understands English, not even in Parliament,” he said. “But even those who are proficient in English won’t be able to understand this.”

MP slams Span, Puncak Niaga over water woes

by Hafiz Yatim     Published 9 Jan 2013      Source : Malaysiakini

As water disruption in parts of Klang valley is expected to last until Chinese New Year, Klang MP Charles Santiago has brought the National Water Services Commission (Span), and Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd to task for not carrying out their roles of monitoring the water pumps.

Charles ( right ) said the issue was not new as there were problems with the Bestari Jaya facility last year, resulting in water disruption in the Klang, Batu Arang and Shah Alam area.
It was found that the problem was due to poor maintenance of the water pumps there.