Negotiate, negotiate and negotiate - Borneo Post Online (2025)

GOOD strategy, a better alternative to a tit-for-tat move! I am referring to the step taken by the government of Malaysia in dealing with the tariffs on Malaysian goods exported to the USA.

The face-to-face meeting with officials from the relevant departments in Washington is an excellent opportunity for a close look at the details, item by item.

This arrangement must be included as part of the agenda before the Malaysian team leaves for Washington in three weeks’ time.

I am sure our diplomats at Wisma Putra and the American officials at the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur have worked out some arrangements along this line.

We hope that the team of negotiators, led by the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, would achieve what they want or bargain for.

At least they will learn about President Donald Trump’s rationale for his policy on tariffs.

Already he has a lot of headaches in selling his ‘Day of Liberation’ ideas. He has crossed the Rubicon, but had to pause midstream, for 90 days.

On the other bank are unmistaken sounds of the drums. War, trade war, with China has gained momentum.

Tariff hike for most countries, except China, was asking for trouble. The representatives of the countries, in full preparation for the Washington meeting, are not sure what to say in their opening addresses.

Many are assuming that they are China’s trade partners and do not wish to be drawn into this kind of war.

No doubt we will be hearing from our team the good news, or otherwise, upon their return to Malaysia. This will be in May because the team will only proceed to Washington at the end of this month, assuming that the discussion could be held during the 90-day pause.

Hopefully, their trip would not be postponed because of the pause.

With Trump, we will never know!

The rates of the tariffs to be imposed on goods of each country exporting goods to the USA were publicly announced by President Trump. A rather unusual act, but that is typically Trump.

He has a pack of cards in his coat pockets.

Each US President has his own style of doing things. Despite the adverse reactions to how he handled the tariffs, my gut feeling is that this President is sending a subtle message to the leaders of the countries that he needs support, open support and secret support, from the free world for his country.

Quietly smiling and saying to himself: “They will come and see me if they are my friends.”

Smart diplomacy, that.

But China does not like it. That is the problem between the US and China. Both countries are behaving like big boys and bullies – they do not care what happens to the ‘little boys down the lane’.

Apparently, many countries affected by the tariffs have chosen the trip to Washington as a fast track to see the devil himself for details.

They all want to talk to the Americans about the tariffs and to go into details of implementation on the ground to reach an amicable solution followed either by way of a formal agreement or even by a secret understanding that binds both parties secretly.

This leaves open the question of whether Trump would ever stand by his word in a ‘binding agreement’, of course.

Within these 90 days, the countries already committed to going to Washington have time to do a lot of strategic thinking: work out a plan that secures the best deal for his or her country, simultaneously sending a clear message that they are being neutral in this war.

Meanwhile, Malaysians have been assured by their government that Trump’s tariffs will have a limited effect on the cost of living in Malaysia. It remains to be seen.

The reactions to the announcement by President Trump on the rates of tariffs to be imposed on the countries listed have been severe, often personal and at times, laughable.

I am not sure if the protests against the tariffs are not the work of Trump’s political enemies. He has a lot of those. I am suspicious when such protests are highly curated.

As the effect of the tariffs seeps into the Malaysian system, we may experience what a former finance minister of malaysia, Tun Tan Siew Sin, called the ‘imported inflation’.

One way of reducing the effect was to educate Malaysians to buy goods made in Malaysia.

Remember the slogan: “Buy Malaysian First.”

Many politicians are warning the Malaysians that they will have to brace for high cost of living because of the tariffs.

The consequences are obvious: the poor get poorer, while the rich will feel just a little pinch on their pockets.

Get this gap closed first before joining the trade war. Play smart.

In this kind of war, there is another war – psychological war: who can control the minds of the people and win territories without firing a shot.

Read the history of how foreign lands were conquered and occupied, and how empires were created.

As it was in the 18th century, political leaders were vying for fame and legacy.

Every piece of land beyond one’s shore is empty or ‘terra nullius’ (no man’s land). It is for grabs by foul or fair means, often by foul means.

If you think that humans have changed, think again.

We are in this situation of uncertainty for a long haul.

The world has been organised that way for centuries. War and peace. It’s a matter of how you look after yourself.

Be smart – like a snake.

* The opinions expressed in this article are the columnist’s own and do not reflect the view of the newspaper.