Malaysia is lagging behind many other countries who are part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations in terms of having consultation with key domestic stakeholders, an opposition MP said today.

NONE DAP's Klang MP Charles Santiago ( left ) said that this was among the main revelations obtained from a two-hour meeting on the TPPA negotiations with representatives from the economic divisions of five other member countries and Malaysian stakeholders.

"On a scale of one to 10, I think we can say our (Malaysia) level of consultation is zero," Charles said after chairing the meeting, which was also attended by several other opposition MPs as well as a representative from the International Trade and Industry Ministry, which is handling the negotiations.

This, Charles said, is because key stakeholders such as the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC), Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca) and Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM), were all not consulted.

He said representatives from all these organisations that had also attended the meeting today, had expressed their concerns.

"Other countries have a very, very high level of stakeholder consultation. Their business community is informed after every round of negotiations," Charles said.

NONE One example given of the Malaysian government's secrecy on the negotiations included Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar ( right ) being asked to sign an oath of secrecy although allowed to read the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report on Malaysia signing the TPPA.

"It's a no-go for Malaysia," Charles said on the conclusion of the report, without revealing his sources in accessing the report.

He added that the government's public policy-making scope might be reduced as a result of the TPPA, because the government can be held liable by multinational companies.

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