Wong Chen (Subang), Rafizi Ramli (Pandan), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa) and Lee Chean Chung (Petaling Jaya) made the call following the US Supreme Court’s ruling last week that president Donald Trump overstepped his presidential powers by unilaterally setting tariffs.
They urged the government to publicly disclose the steps and processes it intends to undertake regarding the ratification of the trade deal which Trump signed with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when he visited Kuala Lumpur for the Asean summit last October.
The deal maintained the 19% tariffs on Malaysian goods, but certain products enjoyed zero tariffs under aligned partner-trade lists.
“Given the US Supreme Court ruling that all the tariffs are invalid, the trade agreement should also be considered invalid ab initio (from the beginning),” said Wong at a press conference at Parliament.
“We also call on the government to direct the Attorney-General’s Chambers to issue a legal opinion on the validity of the trade deal following the US Supreme Court’s decision and present this opinion to parliamentarians.
“They should also inform Parliament of the cost-benefit implications of Trump’s newly announced 15% global tariff, as they will only apply for 150 days and may be subject to another Supreme Court review.”
The MPs also called on the government to provide updates on all developments regarding the potential rollback of billions of dollars in tariffs, ensuring that Malaysian exporters who have already borne part of the tariffs receive refunds.
They urged Anwar, the PKR president, to exercise caution and refrain from committing to any trade agreement that could undermine national sovereignty during future meetings with Trump.
“We reiterate our stance that an independent royal commission of inquiry into the trade deal must be established as soon as possible to investigate how the agreement was negotiated and signed,” Wong said.
Yesterday, Anwar said the Cabinet will be briefed on the ramifications of the US Supreme Court’s decision after the investment, trade and industry ministry tables a report on the matter on Friday.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the ministry was reviewing the US court’s decision and coordinating with its counterparts in Washington DC as well as those in Asean.
Trump has said he will impose global tariffs of 15% to replace the tariffs scrapped by the court, after he initially announced a 10% levy on all goods entering the US.