00:00Now, Malaysia is walking a fine line in its trade talks with the U.S.,
00:05trying to secure better terms while keeping regional ties strong and its economy diverse,
00:11even as U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer resists calls for product-specific tariff exemptions.
00:17To give you more on this insight on how Malaysia is managing this tricky trade balancing act,
00:23we speak to Karisma Putra Abdul Rahman from Baitul Amanas.
00:30Jameson Greer has emphasized a firm stance of, quote, no exclusions and no exemptions.
00:37However, we also know that the Trump administration as a whole has been compromising on certain areas.
00:42For example, certain pharmaceuticals have been exempt from pharmaceutical tariffs,
00:46and so from this we can infer that there is some flexibility to their position.
00:50And furthermore, we must not forget that earlier this month,
00:53Mr. Greer himself has framed the tariffs as a strategic tool to bring countries to the negotiating table
00:58rather than as purely punitive measures.
01:01He described the tariffs as part of an America-first trade policy aimed at creating leverage to secure fair trade deals.
01:07Knowing this gives us some insight into their potential playbook.
01:11So for the Malaysian delegations and things, they can choose to view it from an alternative angle here,
01:16one that is more in line with a blank slate where everything is up for negotiation or discussion
01:20rather than Malaysia having to sing for its supper.
01:24Therefore, Malaysia can take this opportunity to engage with the Trump administration
01:27to update our deal with the U.S.
01:29as the last time, if I'm correct, a formal round of discussions around trade were held in 2008.
01:35So I trust that PMX and our Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry
01:40are individuals with internationalist mindsets and economic expertise.
01:45Hence, I am fairly confident that our delegation has a solid opportunity to negotiate more favorable terms.
01:50Karisma also highlights the active role civil society and industry players can take
01:57in shaping negotiation outcomes and protecting national interests.
02:02He outlines steps on how they can be more involved in the process
02:06and ensure their voices are heard and priorities addressed.
02:12So as it stands, Malaysia already invites business groups and sometimes NGOs into trade talks.
02:19But the process tends to be quite ad hoc, opaque, and KL-centric.
02:24As I understand it, industry representation is fairly strong,
02:27but civil society input is still relatively sporadic.
02:30For example, in the CPTPP process, groups such as the Third World Network
02:34and a few others complain of inadequate consultation and limited tax access.
02:39Furthermore, being an Eastern listener myself,
02:41Sabahan and Sarkian CSOs note a KL bias,
02:44with few state-level dialogues accompanying discussions around deals such as RCEP.
02:50So when combined with the fact that draft chapters are shared only on a need-to-know basis
02:54with hand-picked stakeholders by METI,
02:56it becomes difficult for civil society to have an input.
02:59And so for this to improve, we can take a page out of Canada
03:01and the European Free Trade Association, or EFTA.
03:04So for example, Canada publishes their negotiating objectives fairly early.
03:08They invite written submissions and they post a what-we-heard report after each consultation.
03:13So this allows the government to have the space to perform mid-course corrections
03:18and for trust-building to also occur.
03:20And for the latter, so for EFTA,
03:22so during their EFTA-Malaysia Economic Partnership negotiations,
03:27the EFTA secretariat published a plain language fact sheet after it,
03:31allowing for those with broader expertise and members of the general public
03:36to understand the matters being negotiated.
03:38So this allows for more people and representative organizations in civil society
03:42to advocate to relevant policymakers on what is important to people on the ground.
03:46So these are some of the changes that the government could potentially consider
03:49to make trade negotiations a more holistic process
03:52and in the process of doing so, safeguard national interest.
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