Tengku Zafrul On His Jump To PKR And Trump’s Reciprocal Trade Agreement

The investment, trade and industry minister said he made the jump because his goals align more with PKRs pluralistic and open philosophy.

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Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz has personally debunked speculations of his jump from UMNO to PKR as a move to retain his position in the government.

In an interview session with local news daily Sinar Harian, Tengku Zafrul explained that the action was driven by the principles of political struggles which was more in line with his stance.

He also stressed that his decision to leave the Malay-centric party was made after deeply evaluating the direction of the party’s struggle, especially in Selangor, which he described as in need of many improvements.

“I did not leave UMNO because I was disappointed, but because my goals are more in line with the PKR DNA, which is more pluralistic and open.

“I believe in a struggle that encompasses all races without rejecting the rights of Malays and Bumiputeras,” he said in the interview session on Wednesday (12 November).

On 30 May, Tengku Zafrul announced his resignation from UMNO and announced his intention to join PKR.

Later on 8 August, he confirmed joining the party led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after his application was accepted and is now a member of the Ampang Branch.

With his senatorship coming to an end, the seatless minister confirmed that his last day at the ministry is 2 December.

Tengku Zafrul reiterated that he already made it clear he didn’t want a by-election when his term as senator ends.

On who would take over at the ministry, he said the matter was left to the prime minister as his concern right now is to ensure a smooth transition.

Zafrul on Trump’s reciprocal trade agreement

In the interview, Tengku Zafrul was also asked for his thoughts and comments on the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) that was signed between Malaysia and the U.S. during the recent 47th Asean Summit held in Kuala Lumpur.

The agreement sparked concerns among Malaysian citizens that it may have “bound” the country to the mercy of the United States of America and its president Donald Trump.

When asked about the matter, Tengku Zafrul told Sinar Harian that the speculation of ART tying Malaysia to the U.S. is not 100% accurate.

“That is not accurate at all. That cannot be, because if it is, there goes our other trade partners,” he said.

He has reiterated numerous times on social media that Malaysia is not a proxy of America.

On the subject of a statement by the ambassador of the US to Malaysia about threats and warnings should Malaysia lean more towards China, Tengku Zafrul said there was never any talk about having to choose sides in the negotiations.

The investment, trade and industry minister was also asked about the exit clause, and whether Malaysia would be able to afford to carry it out should the country be forced to.

“It’s not whether we can afford to or not. It’s a matter of whether we must or not. We are able to do it, but we must make our own analysis on whether it’s worth exiting or not.

“But if it concerns the sovereignty of the nation, we’ll just do it. Doesn’t matter if millions of people lose their jobs because this is a matter of national sovereignty, so we must make a decision at that time. We could do it but we must analyse what the impact would be to the people and to the companies here,” he said.

Tengku Zafrul also informed that the ART has no expiry date, and that the agreement is not with Trump, but rather the American government and therefore could continue long after Trump is no longer president.

Watch the interview HERE.