Former Klang MP Charles Santiago has called for full parliamentary scrutiny of the Malaysia–United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) before any new ratification, warning against granting the executive a “blank cheque” on trade policy.
In a statement today, Charles said the current agreement signed with US President Donald Trump has drawn significant criticism from civil society organisations, political parties and academics, particularly over issues of transparency, policy space and its long-term implications for Malaysia.
"I congratulate Johari Abdul Ghani on his appointment as investment, trade and industry minister, and I welcome his openness and stated intention to review the ART, including renegotiating any terms that are unfair or detrimental to our national interest.
"However, any move towards ratification must be grounded in evidence and democratic process," said Charles.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in his recent administrative reshuffle, has named Johari, formerly the plantations and commodities minister, to replace Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who led negotiations for the ART and ended his two-term senatorship.
Zafrul's deputy, Liew Chin Tong, was also named as deputy finance minister, and his former position is now held by Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin.
Cost-benefit analysis
Commenting further, Charles urged the ministry to undertake a comprehensive cost–benefit analysis and a national interest study, to be tabled in Parliament and subjected to full scrutiny before any decision is made.
“This was done for previous agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership under the BN and PN governments, respectively, and is considered best practice in trade negotiations,” he said.
According to Charles, the studies must include a chapter-by-chapter assessment of economic and social impacts, including job gains and losses, effects on medicine prices and healthcare costs, implications for bumiputera businesses and small and medium enterprises.
Other areas of interest include the halal industry, tariff revenue losses, distributional impacts across sectors and groups, as well as the extent of domestic legal and regulatory changes required, including alignment with US laws and standards.
He warned that proceeding with ratification, or publicly defending the agreement, without publishing and debating these studies in Parliament would be “procedurally irresponsible and democratically indefensible”.
"Malaysians deserve to know who benefits, who bears the cost, and whether this agreement truly serves our economy, including business, workers, consumers, or primarily external interests.
"Malaysia must not lock itself into commitments that narrow policy space, weaken democratic accountability, or compromise our economic future," he said.
"Proceeding without full disclosure, evidence-based assessment, and accountability to parliament would be a failure of governance and a breach of public trust," he stressed.
Anwar, who remains as finance minister, had on multiple occasions, including in the Dewan Rakyat, reassured ART critics that Malaysia has not compromised its stance on key areas of national interests, including trade policies and the halal industry. - Mkini
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