Are we biting off more than we can chew?

2014 was a tough year for Malaysia. 2015 won’t be easy either.

It is a challenging year for Malaysia, not just at the national level. Regionally and internationally, Malaysia is at centre stage as both the chair of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and one of the non-permanent members on the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

With the start of a new year, Malaysia takes over the annual rotating chairmanship of Asean from Myanmar amid high expectations from various stakeholders.

At the same time, five countries – Angola, New Zealand, Venezuela, Spain and also Malaysia – have begun their two-year term from January 2015 to December 2016, replacing Argentine, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda as non-permanent members in the most powerful body in the world, the UN Security Council.

While both roles give Malaysia a favourable opportunity to further its role as the original founding member of Asean and to expand its role as one of the key actors in the global politics, both roles are also subject to added scrutiny when it comes to its national politics, especially its debatable human rights record.

There is a lot of excitement going on for sure, but at the same time, it can’t be denied that it also involves a massive amount of hard work.

This is the perfect time for Malaysia to restore its global reputation by presenting a moderate approach to conflict resolution, particularly in the face of rising religious extremism around the globe.

Ironically, we have witnessed an increase of religious intolerance and racial tensions in the country in recent years.

Its pledge to commit to a moderate voice has failed miserably.

For example, the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) was formed in 2010 with the main goal of applying a moderate approach in achieving world peace and harmony. But is the prime minister walking the talk and committing himself to what he pledge back in 2010 at the UN General Assembly in New York?

All Malaysians should be proud that Malaysia qualifies for the UN Security Council. However, what’s more important is its performance before telling others what to do.

Similarly, 2015 is a critical period in the building of the Asean community, not just from the economic perspective but also security, which is more critical. However, knowing the fact that it is impossible to achieve the deadline of 2015, Asean leaders have started to shift their attention to the post-2015 community building from 2016 to 2025.

Founded in 1967 in the midst of the Cold War, Asean has managed to bring the Southeast Asian countries together. However it appears to have reached the limits of its integration unless the grouping can reach consensus in revolutionising its decision-making approach.

According to the director-general of the Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Datuk Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, the realisation of the Asean Community 2015 and the development of an Asean Community’s post-2015 Vision are the two priorities for Malaysia.

No matter how the approach will be, it is crucial for Malaysia as the Asean chair 2015 to step out of its comfort zone and initiate more bold and progressive steps to bring Asean forward.

As chair, Malaysia has a responsibility to ensure the region’s political and economic agendas are on track.

In his year-end message on his blog, the prime minister said that his 2015 focus would be on the people. Apart from promising to build a more prosperous and more equal society, the prime minister also vowed to ensure the safety and security of the people from extremists.

Malaysia realises it has major roles to play in 2015 as all eyes are watching us.

But the question is, are we up to the challenge, or are we biting off more than we can chew? This is definitely something interesting for us to watch in 2015. – January 5, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.