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Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates. It finally happened. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has gotten furious enough that he labelled the new trade deal Malaysia signed as “surrendering our independence”. And for what, he asked? A few minutes of applause and a pat on the back from the President of the United States Donald Trump. The Deal That Changed Everything In a move now sparking outrage, Malaysia’s latest “reciprocal trade agreement” with Washington has effectively tied our economy to American interests, from energy to tech to rare minerals, according to Dr Mahathir. In a social media post, he remarked that under the terms, Malaysia reportedly agreed to: Purchase American-made airplanes, gas, and machinery. Adopt US digital and cybersecurity frameworks. Grant US firms first rights to Malaysian rare-earth minerals. Open local markets under American-defined trade terms. In return? Tariff reliefs that Dr Mahathir labelled as “crumbs.” From Merdeka to Modern Subservience “In 1957 when we fought for our independence, we worked towards self-determination and the following years, we worked very hard to remove all vestiges of foreign control over our country, especially in matters of trade and economy,” Dr Mahathir said. He cited milestones like the 1981 Dawn Raid when Malaysia reclaimed Guthrie shares from British hands and the “Buy British Last” campaign, which sent a clear message: this nation won’t be dictated by outsiders. “What we are witnessing is not a partnership and neither is it reciprocal. It is a submission of our economic freedom which we have worked hard to protect and build,” he added. “We agree to buy their airplanes, gas and machines, obey their digital rules, that they have the first bite of the cherry of our rare minerals, open our market on their terms and follow their conditions on who we can do or not do business with.” He warned that even though the deal contains an exit clause, it’s naïve to think the US would allow Malaysia to simply walk away. “If this government is using the exit clause to get out of a lopsided deal obviously, it doesn’t know how to cut a deal in the first place.” The agreement, Dr Mahathir argued, isn’t a partnership at all. It’s economic surrender dressed up as diplomacy. The former PM didn’t mince words: “It is a modern-day imperialism, the neo-colonialism our regional founding elders had feared and warned of during the early years of independence.” He accused the government of lacking backbone and hiding behind diplomatic niceties. “So, stop cloaking it in trade and cooperation language or in diplomatic niceties – just admit that you have traded our independence because you lacked spine and keen to please the foreign powers,” he said. Not stopping there, Dr Mahathir added: “And it is the very power that supports and commits genocide on Palestinians.” What’s at Stake For the man who once steered Malaysia toward industrial independence, this isn’t just another policy disagreement. It’s an existential crisis. He sees the US-Malaysia trade pact as the undoing of decades of nation-building, a reversal of everything Malaysia fought for since 1957. Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
