Well, with Malaysia recently lifting its import ban on American beef, rumours that the United States will soon start free trade talks with Malaysia are easy to believe, and should indeed happen given that news reports already point towards International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz arriving in the US.

But while free trade between the US and Malaysia should be wholly welcomed by any Malaysian at all, we can see easily that free trade today isn’t exactly “free” - especially when it comes to Malaysia, and its past history with the United States. It shouldn’t be too difficult to recall that our ex-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir was always a sharp critic of the United States.

In any case, I, and probably any other Malaysian, would love to see a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the US and Malaysia in the near future. If these talks somehow work out, Malaysia will be the second ASEAN country with a FTA with the United States (after Singapore).