Thursday, July 25, 2013

TPPA: Problems of trust and delusion


Ah ... body still aching from the late night to morning return trip by road from Kuala Besut to Kuala Lumpur.

So our prediction was wrong but we are not the only one. The lower voter turnout should result in lower majority. In fact, there was a bit of a scare in the late afternoon. Voters from the white areas are not coming out as much as we wanted. 

This "good to be wrong" larger majority indicate that the local based voters are still supporting BN. Perhaps, it indicate that the fenceseaters shifted from PAS to BN. Another possibility is that outside voters could not return to buffer PAS's loss.

BN may have won handsomely but it does not mean the ground is fine. If only they know what transpired in the meeting between Perkasa and PM yesterday. We should have been there but couldn't. It would have been "fun" to add more to the already explosive expression of feedbacks.

TPPA was also touched.

TPPA forum

The previous weekend, while in Johor and taking it easy for the first puasa weekend with our parent, we saw two programs in two successive nights discussing the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

The interesting one is the Astro Awani program on the following event


It was an open forum between Minister for Internation Trade and Industry (MITI), Dato Mustapha Mohamed and Executive Director of MTEM, Mohd Nizam Mashar.

Nizam raised quite a bit of issues [look-up their points in the website here]. Among the issues he raised was the shroud of secrecy and concern for rising medical cost.

Mustapha's answer can be summarised as "Trust thou Government." The Government will not allow ...
One, TPPA to change our Constitution and law.
Two, the structure of the federation with regard to state power will remain.
Three, our policies will remain. 
 The question back:
Constitution and law remain? 
If so, why negotiate and willing to sign for an EU FTA that is ridiculously stringent to insist on political reform.

State rights maintained? 
Sure... explain Iskandar Malaysia..

Our policy will remain? 
PM's repeated commitment on the Malay policies as as covered by TV3's evening news yesterday but the reality on the ground is different. Did we ever seek the blessing of the Council of Rulers as caretaker for Bumiputera before reducing or taking away any pro Bumiputera policies as enshrined under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution

It was a statement of comfort to play down the strong issues of sovereignty, neo-colonialism and risk to the local economic players by one statesman. [Read it here]

And, Barking Magpie is right in saying here that by signing the TPPA, "the country will be forever sold to big super Multi-National Corporations (MNCs!)"

Mistrust on Government


It is not to discredit able person like Mustapha. His assurance does not address the underlying problem with TPPA. It is the problem of trust.

Before the election, Dato Najib is known to say that he cannot change many things vitally necessary without a mandate of his own. It was an excuse for "business as usual." After getting a mandate of his own, as quiet as a mouse, he placed Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop as Deputy Chairman and Chairman of Executive Committee of Khazanah.

He should be in charge of the national debate and not others' agendas determining his path. We do not see that happening after the GE/ All he could do is to pose with his cats.

One is not expecting him to take the bull by the horn because his Chinese horoscope is not a Spanish bull but a cat. The least is to not offend his voters.

He did not show his appreciation by addressing issues raised by his dissatisfied voters, but gave 11 Tan Sri to 94% DAP voting Chinese and entertained the demands of non-voters. By right, those that did not vote BN should ask and plead from Lim Kit Siang, Anwar and Hadi (the real power structure).

The TPPA issue is facing resistance because of a growing mistrust in the Government's ability to handle problems. It lies with the people supposed to handle the problems.
His advisers and war room members are mostly power hungry, kaki ampu and opportunistic dimwits.
His cabinet appointments are full of incompetents and liabilities.

Civil servants are mostly filled with self interest red tapers and non convincing competencies. The top man can never retire but kept being continued with extension contracts, or the incompetent ones sent to be Petronas Chairman. 

PMO officers and UMNO officials around Dato Najib are mostly self serving, scheming off  public money, and incompetent morons. They are not telling the PM the real situation on the ground and sugar coating their reports. Najib listen but cannot even control his boys. 

His media team kept using the same old modus operandi to playdown serious issues.
And his social media coordinator tells him that they took charge of 8 out of 10 issues. His "Kelantan kaki bodek dan tikam belakang" blogger assistant refused to face the reality that we failed because the urban area and 4th and 5th channel voters supported opposition..

One example of failed media strategy is when Mustapha said the TPPA is still an on-going discussion. It is only in the 18th round and held in Kota Kinabalu now.

To negotiate up to 18 rounds, it means it is serious business. Thus, the rumour that PM expressed interest to sign the TPPA in a Cabinet meeting but with the caveat that the three condition is met. A caveat means that if anything fails, there is an excuse out.

Delusion


If that rumour is true and Tun Dr Mahathir and most of our sources except one source say it will be sign or President Obama will not visit Malaysia and back Anwar, then we are ducked!

Mustapha did say that we are third biggest trading nation and our future prosperity depends on trade. That became the argument used by the post in The Choice aka The Clone (of Omar Ong). Read it here and one can understand how naive this Oxford Part II to KJ's Part I is on the world we live in.

They think the world will be a garden of roses and daffodils if we implement laisse faire economy, globalisation, openness and free market. All these talk of conspiracy is all crap. If one bother to read about TPPA, it is about the interest of 'big business'. Since when do 'big business' care about human, other than to exploit human for invisible powers?

Don't talk of stakeholder because big business will only contribute baju raya and duit raya for orphans. To benefit from them, one will have to be economically and socially orphaned.

Big business like the ones generated by our state sponsored capitalism, as described by Prof Dato Mohamed Abu Bakar, benefit faceless institutional shareholders and CEO that earn 2,000 times the basic salary of his clerk like Dato Nazir Razak. 

Oh gawd! Our "pity the rakyat" socialism is rearing its ugly heard.

Nation building

No (with a sarcastic tone) ... we have to think outside the box and be efficient, competitive, and deliver like businesses.

No wonder no PEMANDU people was there at a Public Seminar on 'Inclusive Growth' held by UNDP at Park Royal on July 10th recently.

They should have listened to the presentation by Prof Shamsul Amri of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. It was inspirational and visionary. And, that is what development should also be ... about human.

We have so many inequalities and limiting factors like ethnicity, geography, and historical legacies. These ignore the non-level playing field to claim market economy is the answer. These purveyor of "free trade shall set you free from the tyranny of the world" does not realise that they are collaborating with the devil to send humanity and individual to the poorhouse.

We should be returning back to the nation building agendas. Not business at all cost agenda.. 

Masturbators


To answer the view of Omar Ong and his masturbating syok sendiri mates (to take a description from a favourite blog comment of some election campaign tactic during the Kuala Besut by-election), we had a discussion with a friend.

He is the kind of people PEMANDU reject to be consultant. They prefer to have liars, crooks and incompetents like Emir Mavani as Consultant and Director.

The Choice claim we have benefited from Free Trade Agreement like the Asean FTA. Moronic masturbators!

The  utilisation rate of FTA is very low. The utilisation rate of Malaysia-Japan FTA for example is less than 1%. Some companies, especially SMEs choose not to use the FTA because it is costly. The cost of compliance, such as filling up forms and employing staff and consultants are more than the reduced import duty so some choose not to take the "benefit" offered by the FTA.

The backers of "Rakyat didahulukan" does not mention a single thing about the benefit to the rakyat. It is simply because FTAs are only about big business.

Our friend share an inside story that one of the negotiators accidentally blurted to the owner of one small pharmaceutical company that they would rather see the small ones phased out of business. But we must remember that 98% of our business are small business.

Satuuuu!!!!!! .... Rakyatttttt!!!! .....

We already have a 500 million market in ASEAN, which our companies are still struggling to take advantage of. We have the so-called 1 billion market in the FTA with China and another 1 billion market with India. We have FTA with Australia and New Zealand and Chile. We are already a member of WTO, which has 159 countries and all these countries provide market reduced tariff and market access to our products.

Thus, what is the deal these masturbators are promoting TPPA in terms of market access that include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States (U.S.), Vietnam and Japan?

One business inherited Chinaman Datok said we can get access to Government procurement in the US. What US Federal government procurement want to buy his gift shop product? Most of US Federal spending is military related and 90% from US companies and 10% from European.

Another syok sendiri also was talking on TV3 news yesterday.

Endless game

The notion of liberalisation is not real. It is very romantic but not real. See ... it is like masturbation. Alvin and Vivian is not in the same room with you, if you are into that kind of sick sex.

For example, in the ASEAN Economic Community, we are still far away from achieving the real liberalisation. The Singaporean and Brunei are not really in favour of liberalisation when it comes to opening their market. The American 50 States are also not really in favour of liberalisation.

As one pro TPPA businessman said, the Malaysia-EU FTA negotiation is not about wanting Malaysia in. He is of the opinion that TPPA is not just about business but encircling China. Recently China applied to join TPPA and now US do not want.

Who is really sincere about free trade when the idea behind it superpower countries like US imposing their will to get big business product in but not others' products into their country. Whilst, the developing countries are resisting and wants to negotiate endlessly.

Let's not kid ourselves about free trade with the US. The politics of protectionism and trade at Congress is beyond just JJ to handle. The Capitol Hill will mutilate the TPPA agreement. They could ask USTR and the President to renegotiate terms in the US favour even after the signing.

This is what happened to Korea because of beef and Peru. The American actually went to Peru to draft the Peruvian labour law!

So much for Mustapha saying we will make sure our Constitution, law and policy will remain intact.

19 comments:

Painkiller judas priest said...

There is a pattern if one were to scrutinize and look through. Most glaring would be kj appointed as minister. Sucking the uncircumsised dicks of the chinese. Ministers of jibbys cabinet.

This so called pm of ours is stupid. I really dont buy everyone blaming omar ong. He advises so then why does jibby get a hard on? Jibby is stupid and dumb. End off.

If the opposition is smart, they will play the tppa issue up the wall. I seriously am pondering the fact that the ruling and opposing are sleeping with each other. There are serious issues glaringly prevailing today. The opposition is intentionally weakening it stances since they sleep in the same bed with jib ah whore

maae said...

American stealth.

Hebat. Canggih. Terbang tinggi. Radar tidak boleh kesan. Boleh jatuhkan bom di mana sahaja dengan sasaran tepat, laser guided. Memang memikat.

Harga? Malaysia mampu? TIDAK MAMPU. Macam-macam syarat bakal di di perkenakan. Apa lagi kita di kenal Negara Islam. Kawan yang boleh di binasakan sebagai lawan bila-bila masa sahaja jika tidak mematuhi perjanjian.

Boleh tergadai Malaysia sampai bila-bila.

TTPA : Stealth

GGK said...

You have raised a number of points.

Well, let me add a few more of my own:

1. We are pushing for GDP growth of 6 per cent+ per year and developed nation status by 2020, if not earlier. How will this be achieved if we choose to retreat to the sidelines and let other countries capitalise on trade and investments?

2. The warning trends in FDI (foreign direct investments) are already there. Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand last year pulled in more FDI than Malaysia. What is so unique about Malaysia that FDI should continue to be attracted here, when there are other viable destinations in the region?

3. Malaysia's primary exports of commodities (palm oil and natural gas) are facing reduced demand. Palm oil, where stocks are at an all-time high, is facing price pressure from soya bean oil which the US is producing in large quantities. Natural gas is facing significant price pressure from shale gas exports. It is already happening in the US. How will PETRONAS cope with price pressures on it's natural gas exports, when shale LNG comes on stream? And if Petronas's revenues and profits are reduced, how will this impact the Malaysian government budget which relies on Petronas for almost 30 per cent of revenue?

GGK said...

3. We need to create good and well-paying high-skills jobs for the legions of graduates being churned out by our public and private universities. Who will create these jobs? Malaysian SMEs? GLCs? Or MNCs with operations in Malaysia? For the latter, why would they continue to invest in Malaysia, upgrade their factories and plants and bring in their latest technologies if they are discriminated against, locked out of the public sector market and faced with a non-level playing field?

Theoretical moralising is well and good. But spare a thought for the government planners who have to navigate the Malaysian economy through competitive waters where no one owes us a living and every other country out there is a competitor.

Anonymous said...

GKK

Morality is not theoretical.

That is the underlying problem of entertaining lobbyist of big business.

The issues you raised are valid but it is myopic.

Big business interest does not build nation. Neither are they talking of economy.

Only business business business!!! MOney money money!!!

It is fine for them to be self centred and selfish. BUt why ask government to help them?

Do they declare their tax honestly to talk so much?

I thing you did not read the bloggers properly. Allow me to highlight below:

We already have a 500 million market in ASEAN, which our companies are still struggling to take advantage of. We have the so-called 1 billion market in the FTA with China and another 1 billion market with India. We have FTA with Australia and New Zealand and Chile. We are already a member of WTO, which has 159 countries and all these countries provide market reduced tariff and market access to our products.

Thus, what is the deal these masturbators are promoting TPPA in terms of market access that include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States (U.S.), Vietnam and Japan?

Looks like he's whack you back before you could whack him.

GGK said...

Anon 2:09 PM

You have not answered any of my 3 questions posted earlier in this thread. Surely that isn't too much to ask for, is it?

Now to the issues you have raised.

1. You wrote: "our companies are still struggling to take advantage of.....". Why is that? Are these companies mired in the low-skills, low value-added and labour intensive industries and sectors? What are these companies producing that can't be produced more cheaply elsewhere?

2. Malaysia has a number of FTAs in place. Whose fault is it that Malaysian companies are still not able to capitalise on these agreements?

3. How does "protectionism" benefit our companies, apart from providing a cosy and surreal world of government procurements and a captive market? Do companies like Maybank, CIMB, MAS, AirAsia, Genting, YTL, Sime Darby and Scomi say it's business Malaysian-style when they go into foreign markets?

4. It's strange that you should mention the WTO when you know that the Doha Round is still unfinished business. That is why countries are rushing to conclude bilateral and multilateral FTAs. Just see how the US and the EU, two of the biggest and richest markets in the world, are being forced into bilateral FTA negotiations. Or how Prime Minister Abe is getting Japan into the TPPA negotiations, despite the misgivings of domestic lobbies and vested interests.

Above all, I am tickled pink that you think it's "business as usual", and that you can wish away falling commodity prices, global supply chains and the onset of technology-led information-oriented businesses.

I don't know what it is you do, but from where I sit, it's being able to sell to the likes of Apple, IBM, Facebook and Google.

And I am sure as heck not going to be able to do it by sitting on the sidelines and wishing that big business and MNCs didn't exist!

Painkiller judas priest said...

And i say we drop this whole bullshit of becoming developed nation status by 2020. The standards are set by those who give fuck all about god. So why follow them in pursuit?

What is more important is the people and distribution of wealth. Malaysia with its income is already suppose to be sufficient in improving its human value.

But shit all gets done because the money is syphoned towards something else.

We need to lay down the laws. And fuck vision 2020. The ones whombenefit most are FLOM, the sc chairwoman and her husband, jibby's omar ong and so on. You get the drift.

So why this fixation on becoming a supposed first world nation. Even if we manage to achieve it, i doubt it would bring change to many but a select few.

Anonymous said...

The issue of secrecy is relevant

TPPA does not allow details of the agreement be made public. MITI made the excuse that it is still in negotiation but did not say it will be rectified by Parliament or made known.

Not only that ... the details is not supposed to be disclosed too. Only after 5 years.

It will be good if GK can enlighten us on this. Is this trade or blackmail?

Anonymous said...

The issue of secrecy is relevant

TPPA does not allow details of the agreement be made public. MITI made the excuse that it is still in negotiation but did not say it will be rectified by Parliament or made known.

Not only that ... the details is not supposed to be disclosed too. Only after 5 years.

It will be good if GK can enlighten us on this. Is this trade or blackmail?

Anonymous said...

GGK is prob a consultant, lawyer and some professional who will benefit most from TPPA while big businesses will gobble up everything in Msia and in 100 years time, all resources, companies, etc will be "owned" y big businesses. But why does GGK care? He will make hay while the sun is shining and drink his romanee-contis while future generations become "slave" labour

Cormoran Strike said...

Anon 6:05 PM

Aren't FTAs supposed to be ratified by the governments and legislarures of the parties thereto?

How many of the FTAs that Malaysia has entered into been ratified by the government and Parliament?

Just curious.

Anonymous said...

Despite the statement by the MITI minister about the 3 issues that the goverment will not change despite TPPA, i am skeptical whether , if we sign the agreement, the government can still retain the ability to impose preventive measures ,like capital controls once imposed by Tun Dr M during the currency attack by foreign currency traders. If by signing TPPA we are deprived of rights and ability to protect our country from outside economic attacks what do we have left to protect ourselves. What does the small prints of the agreement say? To me the future of our country is at stake here. The public has the right to know because the public is a stakeholder here.

Anonymous said...

Malaysia was screwed from the front in the 1862 Water Agreement with Singapore. We now not only give the water free but also pay Singapore for giving them this free water.
In the TTP, Malaysia is the only democratic developing country since 1957 in this Grouping of developed countries with the exception of Vietnam and Peru. This means we Malaysians will be consumers of the manufactured goods of the efficient and productive countries. A lopsided arrangement which WILL KILL OFF THE BUMIPUTRA AND NON-BUMIPURTA BUSINESSES WHICH WERE ONLY ESTABLISHED SINCE 1981.
The BN as led by UMNO will lose the 14th General Elections as these businesses traditionally support BN. This is the end of the Malay World as we know it FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL.
THE MAIN BENEFICIARY IS SINGAPORE WHO SCREWED MALAYSIA PROPERLY FROM THE FRONT THROUGH THE 1962 WATER
AGREEMENT. NOW SINGAPORE IS GOING TO SCREW US PROPERLY AND CONQUER US THROUGH THE BACK WITH THE TPP AS SHE IS EFFICIENT AND PRODUCTIVE IN HER INDUSTRIES. OVERNIGHT, MALAYSIA BECOMES A HUGE MARKET FOR SINGAPORE ON HER DOORSTEP.
In the second instance, with the demise of the BN and UMNO in the
14th General Elections, the Singaporean Trojan Horse DAP delivers a conquered Malaysia to the brilliant Lee Kuan Yew with his 9 failed Policies for Singapore to save his legacy. OUR BELOVED MALAYSIA WILL BE ENSLAVED FOREVER AND THIS WILL BE THE END OF THE MALAY WORLD AS WE KNOW IT.
Please, please ladies and gentlemen, OUR GOVERNMENT MUST NOT SIGN THE TPP NOW AS OUR BELOVED MALAYSIA IS DEFINITELY NOT READY FOR OPEN COMPETITION until later...
MAN PROPOSES. GOD DISPOSES.

Anonymous said...

THE TTP WILL SPELL THE END OF THE MALAY RACE AND OTHERS AS WE KNOW IT. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN OUR OWN DEATH WARRANT.

GGK said...

Anon 9:59 AM

Your whole post is a litany of well-worn excuses.

Are you saying that 50+ years after Independence, Malaysia is not capable of competing with the best out there?

Ditto for Malaysians of various races?

Off topic, I am surprised that you have the gall to emote about the 1962 Water Supply Agreement with Singapore. 1962 - that was like 5 years after Independence. Did Malaysia have an incompetent team of negotiators at that time, who didn't look out for the country's interests? And didn't Malaysia have an opportunity to re-negotiate the price at which raw water is sold to Singapore, an opportunity which it passed up on?

It's a Freudian slip that you wrote that "she (Singapore) is efficient and productive in her industries". Why isn't Malaysia as effective in her industries? Is there some magic formula that Singapore is using?

Are you also claiming that Malaysian companies should have unfettered and untrammeled opportunities to export to other countries and invest in other countries, but at the same time mark Malaysia as "off limits" to these same countries? Do you think that other countries will stand idly by and let this happen? Dream on.....

"The end of the Malay world as we know it" - that's hypocritical and self-serving. The logical corollary is that the Malay world is incapable of competing with the best out there. Why not come out openly and write this?

And then the penny drops. "Malaysia is definitely not ready for open competition....." Isn't that a pathetic admission of failure? And whose fault is it that the rest of the world has moved on to bigger and better things?

It's no big deal to the other TPP countries if Malaysia flounces off in high dudgeon like a jilted bride. I dare say that the other countries will be able to survive, progress and prosper sans Malaysia!

Anonymous said...

GKK

You are digressing in your argument of TPP.

You are so hard-up for trade that you are willing to be colonised.. Migrate to a mat salleh country and be colonised

GGK said...

Anon 8:43 PM

Just how have I "digressed" in my views about the TPP?

Can you quote chapter and verse in support of what you've written?

And it's GGK, not GKK.

And isn't Malaysia a trading nation from days past till now? Can you tell me the proportion of external trade to Malaysia's GDP?

Anonymous said...

Your reply is also recycled stale arguments.

No relevance to TPP.

Other readers can clearly see except myopic PEMANDU Consultant aka Tingkat 4 like you.

I am not responding to your request. Waste of time.

GK for geek sounds better. It better resembled Omar Ong.

Anon 8:43 PM

GGK said...

Anon 8:43 PM aka Anon 8:26 AM


So much for informed debate.

It looks like you have chickened out instead of putting substantive facts on the table.

Be that as it may. Let's see if this Malaysian government has the balls to stay and complete the TPP process or call it quits because it can't face down obscurantists and doomsayers.

But I can see where Malaysian trade numbers are heading. Can you?

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