COMMENT | Gabungan Kedaulatan Negara, a platform of civil society organisations, economists and labour groups would like to respond to the statements made by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) on Nov 29 and Malaysian Consortium of Mid-Tier Companies (MCMTC) on Dec 4 with regard to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

First, we stress that not being a party to the CPTPP does not mean that it will be “disastrous for the economy” as asserted by FMM or that Malaysia may “reverse out of the global market” as claimed by MCMTC.

It just means that Malaysia’s current economic relations with other countries through the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) multiple agreements and the numerous bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements continue to apply.