KUALA LUMPUR: Australia, New Zealand and Canada’s Green parties are voicing concerns over a new Pacific free trade agreement.

The political parties are arguing that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being negotiated in “an undemocratic and opaque fashion,” the Australian Associated Press reported.

They believe a leaked draft of the TPP’s chapter on investment “could undermine the ability of TPP-member governments, including Malaysia, to perform effectively.”

They parties fear the new deal “will hinder access to affordable medicines, weaken local media content rules and even restrict the ability of future governments to legislate on public health and the environment.”

“We believe the process should be transparent. This agreement has been negotiated behind closed doors with a level of secrecy that is completely unacceptable in a democratic society,” the parties said in a joint statement released on Monday.

Australia, New Zealand and Canada are among 11 nations seeking to be part of the TPP.

The other members are Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Peru, Vietnam and Mexico.

August 21, 2012

Source: bikyamasr.com

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