Use Indonesia as benchmark for Malaysia-US deal, Hamzah tells govt
3 hours ago
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Opposition leader says Putrajaya must look into why Jakarta is attempting to rework its deal with the US.
Hamzah Zainudin
Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin said if the problematic terms in Indonesia’s deal with the US were also present in the Malaysia-US agreement, Putrajaya must reveal them to the public.
PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has urged the unity government to look into Indonesia’s recently announced rejection of certain “problematic” clauses in its trade agreement with the US, and whether similar terms are also included in the Malaysia-US Reciprocal Trade Agreement.
Hamzah said Indonesia, being a neighbouring country, should be referred to as an indicator of the real impact the deals pursued by the US have on Asean.

“Malaysia cannot only receive praise from US treasury secretary Scott Bessent as a ‘good actor’ without understanding the true costs and implications (of the deal),” he said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Reuters quoted an Indonesian government source as saying the US-Indonesia agreement required “harmonisation of language”, with an unnamed US official also complaining that Jakarta was “reneging” on what it had agreed to with Washington in July.

According to the US official, Indonesian officials told US trade representative Jamieson Greer that Jakarta could not agree to some binding commitments and wanted to reframe them.

Last week, Bessent also said Indonesia was “getting a little recalcitrant” on its trade deal with the US, and that Malaysia had by contrast proven to be a “good actor”, dropping thousands of line tariffs.

Hamzah said if the problematic terms in Indonesia’s deal with the US were also present in Malaysia’s deal, Putrajaya must reveal them to the public.

He said the government must also “transparently explain to the people what it costs to become a ‘good actor’ in Washington’s eyes”.

“(Perikatan Nasional’s) concerns about the Malaysia-US deal were validated when Reuters reported that Indonesia had rejected several terms of its deal with the US for being too binding, potentially jeopardising Indonesian interests and sovereignty.

“Were national interests prioritised when the decision (to agree to the Malaysia-US deal) was made?” he said.

Hamzah also panned the government for playing down any need to renegotiate the deal with the US.

“PN demands that the government reevaluate the deal, study its implications and consider renegotiation should the terms be found to jeopardise national policies, economic sovereignty or industrial interests in the long term,” he said.

In a written reply in the Dewan Negara on Wednesday, the investment, trade and industry ministry said the government believed renegotiation was unnecessary as the Malaysia-US Reciprocal Trade Agreement had yet to be ratified.

It said the government might request reasonable amendments to any provision after the deal comes into effect, as provided for in Article 7.3 of the agreement on modifications and amendments.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/ca...eUngWU2J7k5v7w

Desakan agar Pemerintah Anwar Ibrahim mengikut Langkah Presiden Prabowo dalam bernegoisasi dengan Amerika