Chance For Government To Garner Support For TPPA

“The Prime Minister and the Trade Negotiations Minister have been handed a golden opportunity to shore up flagging support for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement”, says Democrats for Social Credit Deputy Leader, Chris Leitch.

Despite 5 years of negotiations, the failure of trade ministers from the 12 countries negotiating the agreement to finalise the deal in Hawaii this week, is the ideal opportunity for the Government demonstrate that it was not, as is claimed by opponents, giving away things that are important to New Zealand.

If the texts of the clauses that are causing the problem were made public, along with the details of what New Zealand negotiators are pushing for, the government has a real chance to gain significant support for its position.

They could demonstrate that the TPPA really is “is genuinely about free trade and getting trade rules that work for exporters,” as Minister Tim Groser has claimed.

They could also blunt the criticism about the secrecy of the negotiations and claims that Opposition parties don’t know any details and nor do most Government MP’s.

Failure to make the most of this opportunity will only serve to strengthen to position of critics of the agreement who contend that it is “about making the takeover of the country by trans-national corporations and investment bankers risk free, and reducing our ability to pass laws that protect our economy, our ecology, and our people”.

ENDS

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