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Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has voiced concern that Malaysia may have compromised its national independence in pursuit of trade benefits with the United States (U.S.). He argued that what was once a balanced economic partnership has now turned into a one-sided relationship where Malaysia appears to submit to the demands of a global superpower.
“Sadly, in what is supposed to be a mutual trade relationship between Malaysia and the U.S., we’ve given up part of our sovereignty by allowing them to dictate terms to us,” Dr Mahathir wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday. “What we see today is not cooperation or reciprocity, it’s a surrender of the economic freedom that we built and defended over the years.”
Dr Mahathir expressed disappointment at the country’s current leadership, whom he accused of being too willing to trade away Malaysia’s independence for short-term recognition and foreign approval.
“I never imagined I would live to see the day when our leaders would willingly give up our freedom just to look good for a few moments and earn praise from foreign powers,” he said. “Now, we are forced to comply with U.S. demands in almost every aspect of trade and the economy. It seems that we’ve handed over our sovereignty.”
The former premier reminded Malaysians that the country’s earlier leaders had fought hard to secure independence in 1957 and had worked to reduce foreign influence on the nation’s economy in the years that followed.
Citing historic moments such as the ‘Dawn Raid’ on the London Stock Exchange and the ‘Buy British Last’ campaign, Dr Mahathir said those events reflected Malaysia’s determination to safeguard its autonomy and resist foreign dominance.
“Those efforts symbolized our commitment to defend our sovereignty. We were an independent nation that refused to bow to any foreign power, and we were willing to fight for that independence,” he said.
However, Dr Mahathir claimed that Malaysia is now bound by various conditions imposed by larger powers in trade negotiations.
“We agree to buy their aircraft, gas, and machinery, follow their digital trade rules, let them profit from our rare earth minerals, and even accept their restrictions on who we can or cannot trade with,” he said.
He argued that such compliance only serves to gain minor tariff concessions and questioned why the government agreed to such a deal in the first place.
“Yes, there is an exit clause, but from the very beginning, the agreement contained terms that compromise our independence. Why did we sign it at all?” he asked.
Dr Mahathir also expressed skepticism that the U.S. would easily accept Malaysia’s withdrawal should the government invoke the exit clause in the future.
“If the government ever uses that clause to pull out of a biased agreement, it only shows that the negotiation process was flawed from the start,” he said.
He warned that Malaysia’s current situation mirrors what he described as a new form of colonialism, long cautioned against by regional leaders since the early days of independence.
“Stop calling it trade or diplomacy. Admit that you’ve traded away our national freedom because you lack courage and are too eager to please foreign powers,” Dr Mahathir said. “And remember, that very power continues to support and participate in the massacre of the Palestinian people.”
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