Amid Growing Calls To Release TPP Text, NZ Says Transparency Would 'Destroy' Agreement

[n2doc]

As happened with ACTA, the lack of transparency in the TPP negotiations is emerging as one of the key issues there. Here's a very interesting initiative by politicians from many of the TPP countries:

Senior legislators from Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand and Peru today issued a joint letter seeking the release of the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) before it is signed, to enable detailed scrutiny and public debate. The signatories include political party leaders and legislators who currently or previously held senior political office in their national governments.

On the www.tppmpsfortransparency.org site, there's a list of the politicians who have signed up, and it's interesting to see the variation across the different countries. For example, there's just one politician each from Australia and Mexico, two from Canada, but 21 from Peru and no less than 44 from Malaysia. That gives a rough measure of where resistance to TPP is strongest -- Techdirt noted that Malaysia's support for TPP was wavering as far back as 2012.

Despite these widespread concerns about the lack of transparency, the USTR shows no signs of addressing them. Here's what happened recently in the US:

Vermont lawmakers are refusing to meet a demand from the office of the U.S. trade representative that they conduct secret talks over the impacts of a proposed international trade agreement.

An ad hoc group of House members was to have a telephone meeting with officials in the USTR on Thursday about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. But state Rep. Mike Yantachka says that office stated in an email the media should be barred from attending.

more

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140212/03473326193/amid-growing-calls-to-release-tpp-text-nz-says-transparency-would-destroy-agreement-while-ustr-wont-even-talk-if-journalists.shtml

[Bettie]

1. If transparency would destroy it, then it deserves destruction

I'm so tired of 'trade agreements' that hobble our economy while enriching those who already own most everything.

[City Lights]

3. !

All I can say is,

[Wilms]

2. ^

[Autumn]

4. If a wee bit of sunlight will 'Destroy' that agreement then

send that motherfucking thing straight into the sun.

[Armstead]

5. Who was that political philospher that was promnent inspiration for the neo cons

There was some political philoopher back in the Bush years who was cited as the inspiration for the neo-conservative Bush cabal, who believed the people were not capable of making wise decisions, and have to be guided by the elites?

Can't remember his name, but it seems like his philosophy is alive and well and living in the bowels of the government today.

[okaawhatever]

6. He should come right out and say why Peru and Malaysia are resistant to the TPP. The TPP is an

attempt to balance trade and force China to comply with laws that other countries recognize. Countries like Canada, Australia and New Zeland all have patent protection. Is it any wonder a country that doesn't offer those protections can sell their goods cheaper?

The secrecy isn't about the public not knowing, it's about the countries who aren't participating not knowing.