Malaysia should not blow its chance to show leadership next year as Asean Chair – certainly not by being distracted by all the talk about joining the BRICS bloc.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong have set a positive tone to resolving outstanding bilateral issues between the two countries – but will good relations between leaders trickle down the line?

Malaysia’s press freedom ranking taking a dive should prompt the government to reflect on its performance in this area, not become overly sensitive about it.

The proposal to gift orangutans to palm oil importing countries may just be a costly affair and attract criticism about how Malaysia treats its protected species.

Have we arrived at the crossroad where boycotts must be treated as a calculated risk?

Bilateral relations with Singapore have evolved but with a new prime minister taking over, the Malaysian side should not forget that disputes over outstanding issues are a true test of good faith between neighbours.

The Prime Minister’s call for a resumption of a Malaysia-European Union free trade agreement is timely if we don’t want to lose out to our neighbours in investment and trade.

The drive towards Malaysia’s reindustrialisation must be a national effort, it’s too important to be left to a single ministry.

With more and more Malaysians travelling abroad for business and pleasure, we should all be mindful of local sensitivities and customs.

A vision is being prepared for the region which is expected to last for 20 years, and which will be launched in 2025 under Malaysia’s chairmanship.

Malaysia speaks up at an important international meeting on the Middle East war, calling for Israel to be held accountable for its actions.

The King and Queen invited the media to lunch, and pleasantly surprised us with more than we expected.