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Thousands sign open letter to PM Ardern on TPPA11
Thousands sign open letter to PM Ardern on TPPA11. Jacinda responds.
In just three days nearly 6,000 people have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urging her to put people and planet first in the upcoming TPPA negotiations in Vietnam. Today Jacinda responded, committing to do her ‘utmost to push against ISDS clauses’.
“It’s imperative that the
parties making up the new government stick to their
pre-election promises and stand strong against the most
dangerous aspects of this deal, including clauses which
would allow big businesses to sue our government for passing
laws to protect and improve workers rights, public health
and the health of our rivers, ocean and wildlife” says
Laura O’Connell Rapira, co-director of campaign group
ActionStation.
“Since being elected Labour has
walked back on the stance they took when their MPs marched
in the streets with thousands of everyday New Zealanders
opposed to the TPPA. It wasn’t until today’s post
cabinet press conference that Jacinda committed to doing her
utmost to push against the nasty ISDS clauses” says Laura.
ActionStation and partner campaign group It’s Our
Future campaigned strongly against the TPPA agreement when
it was being first negotiations, criticising the secrecy of
the talks and the effect it would have on the government’s
ability to pass laws in favour of everyday people and our
precious planet.
TPPA 11 is known as the “Zombie
TPPA”, because it was dragged back from the dead despite
the USA pulling out of the original TPPA deal earlier this
year.
“We understand that some elements of the
agreement are likely to be suspended (pending the re-entry
of the USA), such as extensions on patents and
data-exclusivity for life-saving pharmaceuticals. For the
most part, however, the TPPA-11 remains the same as the
original TPPA, including the ISDS clauses which would allow
big business to sue our government. As it stands, the
TPPA-11 is a bad deal for New Zealand.” says Stephen
Parry, coordinator for It’s Our Future.
ActionStation is now crowdfunding ads encouraging Jacinda
Ardern to push against the worst aspects of the TPPA-11, and
not to commit New Zealand to the deal until the public have
had a meaningful opportunity to have their
say.
“Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign
Minister Winston Peters must stick to their pre-election
stances and stand up for New Zealand’s interests despite
pressure from the big business lobby at the Vietnam talks”
concludes Laura.
ENDS
ActionStation
Our mission is to tautoko (support) and whakamana (uplift) everyday New Zealanders to act together in powerful and coordinated ways to create what we cannot achieve on our own: a society, economy and democracy that serves all of us - everyday people and Papatūānuku, the planet we love.
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