Malaysia Excludes Areas Of Interest To Bumi Business Community, SMEs In TPP Talks

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (Bernama) -- Areas of interests to the Bumiputra business community and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been excluded from Malaysia's offers under government procurement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
 
Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=967499
Published: August 01, 2013

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) said while the government procurement market will be opened to a certain extent, for participation from other TPP countries, it will be guided by stakeholders' interests and concerns, including to ensure that there was adequate levels of protection for the SMEs.

"The thresholds decided in our offers (i.e. the value of bids that will be open for bidding by companies from TPP members) will be decided in consultations with our government-linked companies (GLCs)," MITI said in a statement Wednesday.

MITI said safeguarding national interest and national sovereignty will remain the highest priority in guiding Malaysia's negotiation team.

It said although TPP leaders had set a target of October 2013 for substantial conclusion of the negotiations, it was NOT a definitive deadline as the negotiating parties still have a number of sensitive issues which continued to be negotiated.

"It is in Malaysia's best interest that TPPA is concluded in a manner which benefits our people," it said.

In terms of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in TPP negotiations, MITI said, Malaysia was advancing the argument that countries have different economic systems in place with SOEs and GLCs playing important roles.

"In the case of Malaysia, SOEs or GLCs are important tools for the government to achieve social and development goals, and also important catalysts to develop sectors viewed as strategic where there is no commercial presence.

"To do this, some support is required especially where the commercial incentives are lacking," it said.

The ministry said Malaysia was seeking flexibilities in the agreement that will allow the continued participation of such entities in the economy and provide public and social goods and services.

On intellectual property rights, MITI said one of the main concerns revolved around access to affordable medicine and healthcare as well as longer protection term which might delay manufacturing of generic drugs.

"Malaysia remains convinced that a balance can be struck between protecting the right of such pharmaceutical companies and the rights of the general populace to affordable medicines, and Malaysia will strive to achieve that balance in the TPP talks," it said.

MITI is organising the TPP Open Day tomorrow to update the public and the media on issues surrounding TPP, to clear some misconceptions about it and to hear the concerns of the public.

-- BERNAMA