Maori rejected the MAI, APEC, WTO and other neo-liberal models and will reject the Singapore Free Trade Agreement said Maori Sovereignty supporters Aotearoa Educators in response to the Free Trade debate in Parliament today.

The Closer Economic Partnership (CEP) agreement would liberalise trade in goods, services and investment between New Zealand and Singapore and would further distance the Government from it's Treaty of Waitangi obligations as well as working in direct opposition to its highly publicised 'Closing the Gaps' programme.

"Stated bluntly, the Singapore/NZ FTA is a Trojan horse or the real negotiating endgame: a possible new trade bloc encompassing all of South East Asia and Australia and New Zealand", said Tim Groser, the executive director of the NZ business lobby group, the Asia 2000 Foundation.

In 1998 mass demonstrations were held opposing the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) negotiations with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was forced to consult with Maori around the country, where Maori rejected the Agreement and negotiations stalled.

These Neo-liberal, neo-colonial initiatives are another attack on Tino Rangatiratanga (Maori Independence) much like the initiatives of 1800s England, BUT this time all New Zealanders will suffer the ill effects of colonisation.

Parliament will debate and vote on the proposed trade agreement with Singapore, on Tuesday 7 November 2000.

A NO! to the Singapore Free Trade agreement is a YES! For Tino Rangatiratanga.

For further comment please contact Matire Ropiha (04) 4738 566 xtn 852 / 021 1177 978

For an explanation of the impact of the Singapore Free Trade Agreement see this submission by Professor Jane Kelsey http://aotearoa.wellington.net.nz/he/jk.rtf

Singepore FTA Backgrounder http://aotearoa.wellington.net.nz/he/ec.html

Open Letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs-Singapore http://aotearoa.wellington.net.nz/imp/sing.html

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