Hello, Mr President, trade deal is off—and US imposes 30% tariff on Malaysia
SINCE opposition to the US-Malaysia trade deal is intensifying, there are many ways detractors can undermine the treaty.
Never mind the exit clauses in the reciprocal trade pact because nobody wants to believe that there are such escape exits. The core of the argument is that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has signed not only a business deal but also signed away national sovereignty.
Hence, the only way to resolve this issue is to take firm and decisive action against the Madani (civil and trustworthy) government. But how?
Ask PAS. No problem. Just hold a public rally and call it “Turun Anwar 2”. Maybe, this time people might hit the streets in the millions because they are led to believe that their very survival as a sovereign nation is at stake.
They might stage their protest at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre where the “satanic deal” was signed and screamed their lungs out at Donald Trump alias the Great Devil.
To spice up the event, they can symbolically burn the trade document along with the effigies of the US president.
And, oh, why not also do an energetic, angry, hate-filled fist-pump dance (showing the balled-up fists to Trump) to the music of YMCA to get the crowd worked up to boiling point.
The whole show can end with a grand finale—a march to the US Embassy where political firebrands can sprinkle the ashes of the burnt trade document in front of the heavily guarded compound.
But street protest might not work. Anwar will still be around to ensure the trade agreement is kept intact.
Take another method. How about dragging the case to court to invalidate the “unfair, one-sided” reciprocal trade pact?
Resorting to legal action might work because if the court emphatically rules that the agreement is invalid as it violates the Federal Constitution, the Madani government might have to give in and cancel the deal.
However, there is a roadblock. The Attorney-General’s Chambers, according to Anwar, has reviewed the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) and found it contains “no provisions that contradict the spirit or any articles of the Federal Constitution”.
This puts paid the ambition of some washed-out politicians whose words and deeds on this contentious issue are mere political grandstanding.
Is there another way to bury ART? There is and the answer lies in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is itching for another fight with his nemesis.
The twice former premier lost no time in leading a roundtable discussion on ART only to condemn the trade agreement outright and ominously vowing to defend the nation’s sovereignty.
Some political parties and NGOs were with him and one can only conjecture that they are probably planning to head to Istana Negara sooner or later and hand over their 12 joint resolutions which unanimously rejected the agreement.
One of the resolutions inevitably is Mahathir signature style—calling on Anwar to resign yet again to take responsibility for leading Malaysia into a trap where there are no exits.
The centenarian is playing a dangerous game with his bold assertion that the position of the Malay rulers and the rights of the Malays will be affected under ART.
Using the race and religion card must be his desperate attempt to provoke the Malays into action. Perhaps, he is seeking royal intervention to get ART revoked and ultimately see Anwar making a quick exit from Putrajaya.
Even in Pakatan Harapan (PH) there is some grumbling about the perceived erosion of economic sovereignty. One ally, PKR, is going one step further—its lawmaker Wong Chen wants to convene a meeting on this matter through Parliament’s Special Select Committee on International Relations and Trade.
As committee chair, the Subang MP wants the hearing fixed for Nov 12 to review the whole trade deal. And how does he propose to go about aiming his “friendly fire” at the Madani government?
He will invite representatives from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI); the US Embassy; economists and business chambers to sit at the hearing and explain the pact and its implications for Malaysia.
It is highly unlikely that Wong will hear dissenting voices from the invited guests. Surely not from MITI or the US Embassy.
There may be some recommendations from the trade chambers and economists to tweak some aspects of the agreement but that will be as far as they will go. They will not cross the line to condemn it and call for its revocation.
In the end, Wong can do nothing much short of calling the PMX himself (who is also his PKR boss) to sit in the “dock”.
However, there is no guarantee that the ART storm has subsided even though all attempts to derail it might not succeed.
If it stays a hot and divisive topic and becomes hotter as the 16th General Election (GE16) approaches, Anwar himself can abrogate the trade pact and, perhaps, dial up Trump.
Anwar: Hello, Mr President, Anwar here.
Trump: Hello! Apa khabar! (he picked up a smattering of Malay during his brief visit to Malaysia last month).
Anwar: Baik. But Mr President, I have some bad news. The trade deal is off.
Trump: What!!?
Anwar: Mr President, sorry, I am facing intense enemy and friendly fire over the deal. My political position is precarious.
Trump: Really? I thought you’re in total control of your country.
Anwar: No, sir. We are a democracy and I listen to the people’s wishes.
Trump: OK! OK! OK! The deal is eh…eh (fumbling for the appropriate Malay word he has memorised)…. batal.
Anwar: Thank you, Mr President, have a nice day.
And the next day America imposes 30% tariff on Malaysia. ‒ FocusM Nov 12, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
