GE 13 : The Leading Player in ASEAN

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's presence was missed at the 22nd ASEAN Summit held in Brunei this week. A leading player in the regional bloc, Najib has steered ASEAN towards closer economic integration and security cooperation. At this year's summit, he decided to stay away to concentrate on campaigning, as GE13 is just a week away.
Nevertheless, investors have been flocking to Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, with the region's growth comparing favourably with the stagnant markets in the West.
With the ASEAN Economic Community expected by 2015, the proposed single market and production base shall ensure the free flow of goods, services, investment, capital, and skilled labour. This will be a large step forward for the trading bloc, with a combined economy of $2 trillion and a population of 600 million people.
The Barisan Nasional Government's pro-business policies have ensured that Malaysia retains its position as the leading investment destination in the region. The nation also has a safer credit rating than our neighbours Indonesia and Thailand.
Apart from the economy, the Government has also worked hard for Malaysia to become a respected and valued member of the regional community.
For instance, the peace accord between he Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed last year in Manila created a new first for Malaysia.
It was our first real effort at brokering peace in a foreign dispute, and our success was praised in the region as well as by the European Union.
Najib has made it clear that he wants to promote peace and stability in Southeast Asia, and, if called upon, among our neighbours as well. The Philippines has welcomed Malaysia's regional leadership and our role as an honest broker.
Even the Sulu invasion of the east coast of Sabah failed to create a rift between two governments. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that "both Kuala Lumpur and Manila have acted responsibly and cooperatively to thwart" the aims of the Sulu militants.
Malaysia's growing regional influence encouraged Thai negotiators to use KL as the setting for talks last month between the Thai government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), an Islamic rebel group that operates in southern Thailand.
Najib has also been instrumental in engaging the government of Myanmar as it took tentative steps back towards democracy. That success vindicated Malaysia's commitment to keep talking with Myanmar's regime while much of the world resorted to sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
Malaysia's stabilising role in the region has come about because we are prosperous, and prominent in regional trade and cultural ties. But above all, the nation has set a good example as a multi-faith and multi-ethnic society that has dealt with our own issues at home.
Within ASEAN, the Prime Minister has put forward his vision of collective consensus, pointing out that ASEAN's successes have been defined by being careful and making decisions through consensus.
In this age of multilateralism, it's this vision that resonates better across a diverse region like Southeast Asia. It's also an approach to international cooperation that the rest of the world could do well to emulate.