Peoples movements, especially women, are enraged that the revived and rebranded CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership), an agreement set to trample on people’s rights, will be signed today, March 8, the very same day that is historically dedicated to honor the struggle of working class women against injustice and capitalist exploitation, and for the advancement of their rights.
As the signing of CPTPP looms, peoples of the 11 country signatories and the rest of the world should prepare to resist the almost inevitable onslaught of neoliberal attacks on their rights, livelihood, the environment, and their sovereignty.
The people’s overwhelming opposition that stopped US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement was undermined when Japan, New Zealand, and Australia took the lead and revived the zombie trade deal.
After a year of gestation, the rebranded “progressive” pact has not evolved much from the reviled original. Whilst some of its much-criticized provisions have been suspended, these remain in the text and could be reintroduced later upon the agreement of the parties.
These include patent extension and intellectual property rights (IPR), investment liberalization, investor protection, and equal treatment in government procurement, amongst others, while some provisions that are inimical to people’s rights such as the criminalization of seed saving and exchange, and IPR on farm inputs remain intact.
We must all prepare to resist CPTPP’s neoliberal prescriptions.
Women should rise in their billions to defend the rights that they have won through their decades of courageous struggle. They should oppose all moves to reverse all the gains that years of militant women’s movement have achieved.
We must fight new policies that would hasten the race to the bottom of workers’ rights. We must fight the attacks of transnational corporate giants on our farmers and small local producers. We must oppose the further liberalization and privatization of our public services. We should unite against free trade policies that would further advance corporate power over the peoples’ rights.
Ultimately people’s movements should work to advance a trade regime that uphold people’s sovereignty and human rights, drawn up from inclusive and democratic processes meaningfully engaging the underrepresented, promotes economic cooperation founded on solidarity, complementarity, friendship and peaceful coexistence, and one that pursues ecological sustainability.
NO TO CPTPP!
JUNK NEOLIBERAL FTAs!
PEOPLE OVER PROFIT!
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