By Asmahanim Amir
Pix Abd Raai Osman

BANGI, 18 Jan 2016 – The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will provide  more job opportunities because it advocates an open market policy.

Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Malaysia (UKM) Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali said a country that yearns to export more high-value goods needs  advanced skills.

“So this became the impetus to the workforce in Malaysia to enhance productivity, capability and competitiveness in producing products to be exported,” he said to reporters at a press conference about the TPPA here on Jan 13, 2016.

He said when Malaysia opens its market, that means more products can be produced in the country.

“More product can be exported to more destinations. It will create more job opportunities. So when Malaysia is seen as a hig- quality investment destination, investments coming from abroad would also be creating new jobs,” he explained.

He cautioned, Malaysian citizens must be ready to improve productivity.

“That is our desire, with or without the TPPA. We talk about high quality human capital, productivity, innovation and high R&D (research and development). That’s the nature of the economy that is moving forward.

“We see the developed countries in the world are all practicing open market. There is a very strong relationship between per capita incomes with the openness of the economy,” he pointed out.

Prof Noor Azlan who is also the Head of the  Economic and Management Cluster of the National Council of Professors,  explained that more open nations generally have  higher per capita incomes.

“So the openness generally is something that can be beneficial to us. Of course, it’s not an absolute pledge, but we should make an effort.

“I mean, if the door is open and you don’t enter it, that is our problem. Not necessarily that when economy grows, the production also increases. But generally speaking more development leads to increasing job opportunities,” he said.

He explained, when TPPA is implemented, it will open the market and exports will rise and it is a good thing.

“Malaysia can’t always move on the policy label of incentive industry. What we need to do is increase the work skills, so that all of us can move with the economic  transformation.

 “For me, with or without TPPA, is not an issue at all. So when some people cast doubts about the TPPA, to me it needs to be discussed and a thorough analysis done,” he explained.

He also clarified the rise in cost of living after the TPPA is signed.

“I do not see the TPPA as an absolute factor in the price of goods. We need to understand that the economic relationship is not absolute and there are many things influencing price of goods” he said.

He added a country’s economic growth becomes decisive to price movements.