KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — After a special parliamentary caucus was held to brief MPs today,  Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz urged lawmakers to focus on the Malaysia-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) outcomes instead of disputing the individual clauses it contained.

Speaking at a press conference following the caucus, Tengku Zafrul said the meeting provided an opportunity for MPs to better understand the negotiation process and the context of ART.

“To be fair, I think some of their concerns are valid, because they look at different perspectives. So we explained, especially the team from Miti, all present today, explained the context of the negotiation,” he said.

He said that some people agreed with the trade deal while others “agree to disagree”, adding that this was due to different viewpoints of the same documents and as such “it all depends on how you interpret them”.

He added that the key consideration should be the agreement’s impact on Malaysia’s trade and economy. 

“The main point is to focus on the outcomes. You can agree to disagree, but the question is whether our trade or economy will be affected. That is what matters. We must also consider what happens to other countries, which is crucial in our assessment,” Tengku Zafrul said.

The caucus was called to discuss several on ART that had been previously raised by MPs, including claims that the deal was unbalanced would affect the country’s sovereignty as there were more benefits for the US than Malaysia, or that the pact would affect Malaysia’s relations with China, its number one trade partner for more than 10 years straight.

Tengku Zafrul said his team provided explanations during the caucus that the agreement protects Malaysia’s sovereignty, its exports, and does not touch on sensitive areas such as food, data, defence or internal security.

He also refuted claims that ART confers Bumiputera status to companies, noting that such rights were a “red line” throughout the negotiations and remain fully protected.

He added that without ART, Malaysia risks losing access to the US market, which recorded nearly RM200 billion in trade last year. 

He said the agreement helps maintain competitiveness, particularly in high-value sectors such as electronics and semiconductors, and provides certainty to investors.