COMMENT | Prime minister, this letter is written with respect for your office and with a deep sense of national responsibility.

Malaysia’s relationship with the United States has long been grounded in engagement without subordination, cooperation without the erosion of principle.

It is precisely because this relationship matters - and because Malaysia has historically navigated great power relations with care and dignity - that the Malaysia-US reciprocal trade agreement signed on Oct 26 merits urgent and careful reconsideration.

The agreement, while framed as “reciprocal”, extends far beyond conventional trade facilitation. Its provisions reach deeply into Malaysia’s regulatory, fiscal, digital, industrial, and security architecture.

Clause by clause, the agreement introduces obligations that, if left unamended, risk...