“The more rules and regulations,

The more thieves and robbers.”

― Lao Tzu

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) long opposition against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement culminates tomorrow at Dataran Merdeka.

They and a host of other disparate NGOs hope for a huge turnout of Malaysians opposed to what they claim is an ideological struggle against the corporate hegemons that attempt to subvert the will of the people and an Umno government complicit in playing geopolitical games at the expense of the rakyat.

For the first time, the TPPA has divided academics, politicians and NGOs who usually find themselves comfortably ensconced along partisan lines. Indeed, Lim Teck Ghee’s well-argued and timely piece ‘ Should we sign on or stay out of TPPA? ’ ends with this rejoinder:

“The TPPA is neither a poison pill nor a panacea. While there is a price to pay, the government has made the right choice by opting to join it. The discipline that the TPPA will demand will further the cause of the rule of law and force the government to think twice before embarking on rule changes. Membership will force the government to reconsider and amend existing rules that have the effect of furthering protective and rentier practices.”

Meanwhile DAP’s Charles Santiago and Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of IDEAS, have been involved in a spate over the former’s contention that the TPPA would affect access to affordable medicine...