TPPA To Be Implemented Post-US Presidential Election

By Siti Radziah Hamzah KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 (Bernama) -- The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will have to be implemented post-US presidential election in November this year despite opposition from the presidential candidates. Senior Fellow of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Associate Professor Dr Sufian Jusoh, said the US and other TPPA-member countries would need to embrace the mega trade pact moving forward in order to boost trade among the 12-member countries. "I think at the end of the day, it comes to the sensible mind that the US needs the world and vice versa. I am sure Donald Trump and the rest will follow suit," he told Bernama. Sufian, who is also External Fellow for World Trade Institute of University of Bern in Switzerland, was met on the sidelines of the fifth Annual National Procurement and Integrity Forum for Public and Private Sectors 2016 here Thursday. The US will hold its presidential election early November, with the inauguration of the new president in January 2017. The trade pact, which drew heavy criticisms in Malaysia and other participating countries in response to sensitive chapters, was signed on Feb 4, 2016 in New Zealand by trade ministers from the countries involved. Meanwhile, the US presidential candidates -- Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders -- had criticised the TPPA during their campaigns, claiming it was at the expense of US economy. "I am worried for the ratification process, whether they would take it as a whole or they want to renegotiate certain issues. It might affect our government procurement threshold and the Bumiputera policy, we do not know," said Sufian. Meanwhile, at the same forum, Auditor-General Ambrin Buang said the government has agreed to subject its projects under construction to be reviewed by the National Audit Department. "Our objective is to ensure that the projects are not problematic. It has already been done involving those of over US$24.26 million (RM100 million)," he said. He said the National Audit Department has a list of projects costing over RM100 million to be monitored.(US$1=RM4.12) "We will plan accordingly. The government's intention is to make the projects successful," he said. -- BERNAMA