By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 10: The implementation of the newly announced 24 per cent reciprocal tariff by United States (US) President Donald Trump has not directly affected the Ministry of Works (KKR) Malaysia, according to Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
In a TVS news report, Nanta, who serves as the Works Minister, said this is because the Ministry is not directly involved in export and import matters.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of indirect effects arising from ongoing economic developments.
“We need to wait to know more precisely how we will be affected. We don’t want to put it in a crude way—it’s better to leave it to the economic experts,” he told reporters after attending the ‘Majlis Interaksi Bersama Warga KKR dan Sambutan Aidilfitri’ at the Tan Sri Mahfoz Khalid Hall, Kompleks Kerja Raya, in Kuala Lumpur today.
On April 2, Trump announced a basic tariff of 10 per cent on all imports to the US, with higher duties imposed on dozens of countries—Malaysia among them—at a rate of 24 per cent.
However, earlier today, he approved a 90-day suspension of reciprocal tariffs on 90 countries, including Malaysia.
He explained that the decision followed requests from the countries involved, who wanted to initiate negotiations.
Meanwhile, Nanta said Malaysia certainly has a strategy to address the issue.
“I believe it is more appropriate for the relevant ministry to provide an explanation to the people, since this issue is not something easy to understand,” he added. — DayakDaily
