Malaysia will be at risk of being sued by corporations from the United States after signing the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement (TPPA), said a PKR lawmaker.

This is because US firms loved to sue as shown by television drama LA Law , said Wong Chen (PKR-Kelana Jaya) when debating on TPPA at the Dewan Rakyat today.

"Whether to sue or not, it depends on the behaviour of the other party (US firms). US carries an attitude – (it) loves to sue people. When we switched on the TV, we saw LA Law .

"It is part of their culture; this is not a criticism against the US. The culture is based on a high level of professionalism," he added.

"Up to now, we have not signed any investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) with the US, so there is not much case. (But upon signing), the US will not hesitate to sue us," Wong said.

Prior to this, Malaysia has only been sued twice and firms from here have sued other states twice as well, he added.

According to him, the US believes in the sanctity of contracts and will sue blindly.

In a rebuttal, Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) said if both parties equally practised good conduct in doing business, there would not be legal suits.

"If you behave, then the other (party) would not sue you. As a lawyer, you know that when a suit is brought to court, there must be something wrong," he said.

The lawmakers should look at TPPA from a positive angle, added Ahmad Fauzi Zahari (BN-Setiawangsa).

Meanwhile, Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS-Kota Baru) warned of possible security risks the country might face if it signs the TPPA, as US enemies might treat Malaysia as a target.

He proposed the government conduct a referandum to get the approval of the people before it inks the pact.

He asked whether the Attorney-General's Chambers had seriously scrutinised the TPPA, like what was done in the US where its lawyers of international standard had prepared the agreement.

“We need lawyers of international standard to help us so that we (can better) understand TPPA and make sure that this will not impact us," he said.