Isham Wants Public Rally To Oppose Destructive Rm1 Tril Art Rais Hussin Questions Madani S Hastiness To Seal Deal

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FORMER UMNO Supreme Council member Isham Jalil has mooted a public protest to force the Madani government into aborting the RM1 tril US-Malaysia reciprocal trade agreement (ART) given the latter’s penny-wise pound-foolish stance on the matter.
This came about as both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz are unable to pinpoint each and every exit clause which they claimed “exist” in the purportedly lopsided agreement.
“This issue may be bigger and more critical than any past international issues in our country’s history,” Isham who was expelled from UMNO on Dec 7, 2023 for opposing the party’s collaborations with DAP in elections penned on his Facebook page.

“This time it affects he fate of our children and grandchildren for ages in that they have to bear the burden of debt due to the mistakes made by our country’s leaders today aside from eroding our dignity as a sovereign country.
“We can’t allow ourselves to be weak and be submissive, and in the process, force our children and grandchildren to also be submissive. We shouldn’t be selling the country. Let’s not allow this form of new colonialism.”
Pointing to Tengku Zafrul’s interpretation of Article 5.1: Complementary Actions which he claimed is “vague” and wrong, Isham said the former has yet to answer his question of where lies the exit clause.

“Therefore, I wish to know whether his interpretation of the other terms which he claimed contain exit clauses is similarly vague,” demanded Isham who was the UMNO information chief from November 2022 to March 2023.
“Maybe these exit clauses exist only in their minds … while the Americans don’t even see them as exit clauses. If such is the case, they’ll not be able to press the clauses on a superpower like the US later.”

Why sign in haste?
On this note, the once special officer to incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak wanted:
PMX, Tengku Zafrul and Madani government leaders to transparently and clearly identify exit clauses in each and every term to prove that their interpretation is correct while bearing in mind that exit clauses usually come with costs, andIf Article 7.5: Termination which stipulates that we can cancel this agreement within 180 days upon notification, then cancel this agreement completely now before our country gets sold and mortgaged with a trillion-dollar debt burden or till we’re led by the nose while losing both our dignity and sovereignty.In an earlier FB post, Isham had accepted Tengku Zafrul’s challenge for a debate following which he is willing to step down from politics altogether and ceased from further commenting on the matter but “if I win, you and your Madani team (including PMX) must resign and nullify the reciprocal arrangement”.
“Madani paid cybertroopers who don’t possess valid certificates and 20 sen PH (Pakatan Harapan) commenters kindly stay on the sidelines,” added Ishan who possesses a master’s degree in Political Economy and Development with a minor in Law from Harvard University.
Interestingly, deemed pro-Madani Datuk Wira Dr Rais Hussin Mohamed Ariff has also questioned Malaysia’s hasty nature to conclude “this so-called unusually restrictive reciprocal agreement”.

“Only Cambodia has concluded a similar framework, yet even its text contains explicit safeguards stating that implementation must not “infringe Cambodia’s sovereignty” and confines alignment to economic – not national – security,” observed the president/CEO of strategic policy think tank EMIR Research.
“Thailand and Vietnam are still negotiating while Singapore and Indonesia have not even entered the framework. Why then did Malaysia sign so hastily such a critical document?”
The former Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) chairman has further highlighted some thorny clauses:
Article 5.1 binds Malaysia, upon US notification, to adopt “equivalent” restrictive measures on third countries, tying our trade stance to American economic or national-security actions.Article 5.2 then explicitly pushes that alignment into national security terrain, requiring cooperation on security-sensitive technologies, alignment with unilateral US export controls and restrictions on dealings with entities on US sanctions lists.EMIR Research president/CEO Datuk Wira Dr Rais Hussin Mohamed AriffArticles 6.1 to 6.3 require Malaysia to promote US investment in strategic sectors such as energy, telecommunications and infrastructure while also committing us to facilitate about US$70 bil of investment in the US over the next decade.Articles 3.1 to 3.5 forbid Malaysia from imposing a digital-services tax on US firms, thus constraining a fiscal instrument established under our own domestic law. They also restrict our ability to regulate data flows and require consultations with Washington before entering any new digital trade agreements.Article 2.12 obliges Malaysia to “coordinate and endeavour to align” its border measures with any future US border-adjusted taxes while prohibiting value-added-tax distinctions that disadvantage American firms.Article 7.4 imposes further tariffs whenever it “considers” Malaysia non-compliant.“EMIR Research proposes that Malaysia invoke Article 7.3 which allows reasonable modifications and amendments which will be applicable 60 days after the date on which the parties exchange written notification to introduce sovereign carve-outs and compliance clauses,” suggested Rais who has been a PKR member since 2022 after quitting Bersatu in which he was one of the founding members.
“Should amendments prove insufficient, Article 7.5 provides for termination with due notice – though that route must be weighed carefully.
“A multi-disciplinary taskforce of legal, economic and technical experts should immediately be convened to review each article, propose protection language and re-align the agreement with Malaysia’s national interest.” –  Focus Malaysia

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