Saturday, April 26, 2014

T P P

The news on TV and in the dailies have been awash with stories about TPP. What exactly is this TPP?

According to Wikipedia, "The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a proposed expansion of the 2005 Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP or P4), a trade agreement among Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore. It seeks to manage trade, promote growth, and regionally integrate the economies of the Asia-Pacific region." The TPP intends to enhance trade and investment among the TPP partner countries, promote innovation, economic growth and development, and support the creation and retention of jobs.

The TPP according to PUBLICCITIZEN [www.citizen.org/TPP] "is a massive, controversial "free trade" agreement currently being pushed by big corporations and negotiated behind closed doors by officials from the United States and 11 other countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. 

Again, from Wikipedia, we are given to understand that "Global health professionals, internet freedom activists, environmentalists, organized labor, advocacy groups, and elected officials have criticized and protested the negotiations, in large part because of the proceedings' secrecy, the agreement's expansive scope, and controversial clauses in drafts leaked publicly" 

What exactly is wrong with the TPP agreement? Well PUBLICCITIZEN says that "Although it is called a "free trade" agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPP's 29 draft chapters, only five deal with traditional trade issues. 

One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP rules." Also, "

The TPP would even elevate individual foreign firms to equal status with sovereign nations, empowering them to privately enforce new rights and privileges, provided by the pact, by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to demand taxpayer compensation over policies that they claim undermine their expected future profits."

A number of the participating nations joined the TPP willing whilst some were strong armed into it. Japan however, has proven once again that its government can and would listen to the voice of its people. After all, if the people do not want their country participating or becoming a member of TPP why force it upon them?

The people know better what is good for them and their government knows better what is good for its citizens than any foreign government would ever know. 

The general consensus amongst the people is that Japan needs not and should not join the TPP. As a matter of fact, the Japanese government is very careful about this TPP issue as it is one that is indeed TRYING PEOPLES' PATIENCE (TPP) and the government does not want to keep TESTING PEOPLES' PATIENCE (TPP) especially after the tax hike from 5% to 8%.

I think that the government is right to listen to the voice of its electorate and not allow itself to be strong armed into a program that its citizenry is 10001% AGAINST.

Everywhere I visit these days, I am not surprised to be greeted by the "STOP TPP" posters.

I guess, well, if you can't beat them, join them. So,
  
                                                         STOP    TPP