The Malay Businessmen and Industrialists Association oOf Malaysia (Perdasama) has supported the government’s decision to invite US president Donald Trump for the Asean Summit on Oct 26-28.
Its president, Azamanizam Baharon, said it was important for the country to maintain strong diplomatic and trade relations with the US to avoid losing critical access to the American market.
“As of January, Malaysia-US trade contributed about 11.8% of the country’s total trade, with an annual growth of 28.8%.
“If diplomatic relations are strained or Trump‘s invitation is withdrawn, it could lead to serious economic risks, including the disruption of exports to the US,” he said in a statement today.
Azamanizam also warned that the association’s members would be directly affected if such a disruption were to occur.
His statement follows the opposition’s protests against the invitation extended to Trump, whom PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had described as a “great devil”.
Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh had also urged the government to retract the invitation if Israel did not release the 23 Malaysian participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla convoy.
Azamanizam said Trump’s presence would give Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim the opportunity to use Asean as a diplomatic platform to get the US to pressure Israel into stopping its violence on Palestinians and push for a two-state solution.
“History has shown that only the US possesses the political and economic leverage over Israel. Therefore, Trump’s presence is an opportunity that cannot be missed,” he said.
Anwar had defended the invitation to Trump, saying Malaysia had been outspoken in supporting Palestine and Gaza, and would use diplomatic channels to champion the cause.
He said Malaysia must also be “wise in making friends” and consider the country’s economic interests, particularly in high-tech exports.
