PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has agreed to speak at a ceramah tomorrow night in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, against the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

NONEThere is still no response from former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has also been invited, although the organiser - Bantah TPPA - remains hopeful he will come.

At a press conference today, spokesperson Badrul Hisham Shaharin described Mahathir as a “statesman who values national sovereignty”.

“I am confident and believe ... (he) will surely be gracious and set aside domestic politics to defend sovereignty on the stage that we will prepare ...,” he said.

The ceramah is slated for 8.30pm tomorrow at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman. Other speakers invited are Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, social activist Hishammudin Rais, and PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.

A protest is slated for 2pm on Friday at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, in conjunction with a visit by a US delegation led by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry will be there to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2013 on behalf of US President Barrack Obama, who has postponed his first trip to Malaysia in the wake of the US government shutdown.

Protest to start after Friday prayers

The protesters are to gather at the nearby As-Syakirin Mosque after Friday prayers before marching on to the venue of the summit, and they pledged to cooperate with the security forces.

To a question on whether the police have been officially notified of the protest, he said he was not sure because the matter was being handled by the group’s secretariat.

NONEAt the same press conference, Bantah TPPA co-founder Anas Alam Faizli (right) said the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) has yet to deliver on its promise to involve the group in its consultation process.

Anas said Miti secretary-general Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria promised on Aug 16, among others, to involve Bantah TPPA in ‘structured engagements’ to discuss the TPPA and to include the group in a committee to conduct a cost and benefit analysis on the agreement. Thus far, none of these have taken place.

“We understand that the structured engagement has already started, involving those who are pro-TPPA and those who are not very familiar with TPPA. We regret that this promise has yet to be delivered,” he said.

Meanwhile, Badrul Hisham said that while Bantah is running anti-TPPA roadshows throughout the peninsula, Miti has been supposedly running ‘counter-road shows’ in support of the agreement.

Noting that taxpayers’ funds were involved, he said Miti should have presented the pros and cons of the agreement and seek feedback from the people instead of ‘indoctrinating’ them.

NONEMalaysiakini has contacted Rebecca on these claims and is awaiting her response.

Also at the press conference was Positive Malaysian Treatment Access and Advocacy Group director Edward Loh (right), who expressed concern that some proposed provisions in the TPPA could drive up medicine costs.

Meanwhile Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control treasurer-general Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah warned that signing the TPPA could violate Malaysia’s obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires signatories to regulate the tobacco industry.