That S Enough Says Anwar Amid Resignation Calls Over Us Trade Deal

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PARLIAMENT | Once again faced with calls led by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his resignation, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said, “That’s enough”.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar did not name anyone but alluded to the centenarian’s criticisms yesterday on the Malaysia-US trade agreement.
“I want to point out here the hot issue raised by the other side - the trade agreement. It involves not only Malaysia, but also Asean.
“China, this new economic giant, is still negotiating tariffs with the US. We are not exempt from that,” said Anwar during Minister’s Question Time.
“This isn’t about surrender, betrayal, selling out, or a new kind of colonisation… enough of that.
“Want to ask (me) to step down again? Berapa kali nak suruh turun? (how many times do you want to ask to step down?) Enough already,” he said.
US, China held trade talks in M’sia
In response to Ku Abdul Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu), Anwar elaborated on Malaysia’s focus to boost intra-Asean trade and touched on the Malaysia-US trade agreement, which also has an impact on Asean. 
“But what I want to emphasise here is that the issue of China-US trade relations - their negotiations actually took place here, in Kuala Lumpur. 
“The Chinese and American teams negotiated for three days and three nights in Kuala Lumpur before the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. So we, too, played a role and made our contribution,” Anwar added.
Yesterday, Mahathir, along with several NGOs and political parties, announced their 12 joint resolutions to reject the trade agreement.
Among them, they asserted that the exit clause that Anwar pointed to was merely a deception that would not save Malaysia from the agreement’s trap.
“The only exit clause now is for Anwar and his cabinet to take responsibility and resign,” the resolutions said.
AGC ensured deal not against Constitution
Anwar further told the Dewan Rakyat that the government sought the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) advice on the reciprocal trade agreement to ensure it did not conflict with the Federal Constitution.
He said the AGC’s input was crucial to ensure that the provisions in the agreement were consistent with “the spirit of the Federal Constitution and domestic laws”.
“The AGC issued its recent statement after having gone through the deal in detail. Please don’t say that it (statement) was political,” he added.
He was responding to Takiyuddin Hassan (PN–Kota Bharu), who asked whether the government would share the AGC’s views on the trade deal with the cabinet.
According to Anwar, the cabinet had “revised” its decisions based on the AGC’s input.
His remarks came a day after the AGC assured that Malaysia’s sovereignty and national interests remain fully protected under the deal.
The AGC said the agreement requires both countries to hold consultations in good faith before taking any action related to its implementation.
It also emphasised that Malaysia retains the right to terminate the agreement at any time through written notice to the US without needing the latter’s consent - a provision Anwar said safeguards the country’s sovereignty and national interests. - Mkini

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