KUALA LUMPUR:There is a possibility for Malaysia to implement the US visa waiver programme (VWP) as soon as next year.
"I don't want to give a specific timeline but it may be next year," US Ambassador to Malaysia, Joseph Y. Yun, told Bernama after the Corporate Malaysia Roundtable organised by Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, here today.
Earlier, Yun said there were not many countries worldwide that have the VWP and there were a number of criteria that Malaysia had to meet in order to qualify for the waiver.
"Some of them are already there, for example, reciprocity that Malaysia must allow Americans in without visa, and electronic passports," Yun said.
However, there were some other requirements that has yet to be fulfilled such as reporting lost and stolen passport to Interpol and exchange data for criminals.
"These are some of the things that I will talk with your government to make the qualification possible. We're making progress," he added.
Yun said he already met Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Malaysia had agreed to appoint a coordinator to ensure the process went smoothly.
On the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), Yun said there was no reason why it should be delayed much longer.
"The most important thing about the TPP is what is in the agreement. We really don't want to water down to a weak agreement. Timeline matters, but what is more important is the quality. We believe we can get a deal done by November," he said.
He said negotiations were all about compromises, and there was no question that in the end the TPPA would be based on compromises.
"There are 12 countries involved. It's not a bilateral agreement," he added.
Yun also pointed out that a recent study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC found that Malaysia is the number two gainer of TPPA, after Vietnam, when the agreement comes into realisation.-- BERNAMA