As we prepare to bid farewell to 2014 and to welcome 2015, we inevitably ponder over the past and hope and pray for a better New Year.

This year was highly eventful, with many triumphs and several tragedies.

Overall, however, we enjoyed peace and stability. But we unfortunately had to face many of our own man-made risks to our progress and sustainability as a united and progressive nation.

Based on our past experiences and our future aspirations, to succeed in 2015 and beyond, we need to resolve to firmly address the following vital issues.

I would therefore like to propose the following resolutions for our beloved country and people.

1.National unity has to be strengthened

We have to re dedicate ourselves to strengthen national harmony and cohesion. National unity has been seriously strained by racial and religious bigotry and extremism, especially from some irresponsible and un-Malaysian and underqualified politicians. All true Malaysians must no longer condone extremism and bigotry by our silence.

We should also not tolerate bigotry and extremism through our government’s and our own society’s inadequate counter-measures and weak punishment of the disrupters to our peace , security and stability. Extremists must be resolutely restrained and restricted on a continuing basis, without bias. They must definitely be isolated, ostracised and rejected now - and definitely, at every future election.

2 Exclusiveness, supremacy must be phased out

The growing focus since the 1980s on the exclusive development and progress for mostly the elitist Malaysians and groups, often based on privileges of birth, class, race and religion, and political positions, must be phased out, sooner rather than later. Otherwise society will react.

Priority for socio economic development must therefore be given to the lower 40 percent of our income groups ,in the interests of our religious and moral values of justice and compassion. To give less attention to the poor will be to go against our religious beliefs and moral principles.

3. Good governance is imperative and urgent

The enormous wastage of public funds and of our taxes have to be drastically reduced urgently, if not eliminated altogether. Corruption and cronyism should not be treated lightly in order to promote and protect the interests of some of the rich and powerful people in our society. The real victims of bad governance are the poor and the middle income groups, who will feel marginalised and ignored.

If too little is done too late to address these sensitive problems of poverty and income inequality, there can be social unrest. We have to remember that it is the poor and middle income classes all over the world that lead resentment against repression.

Our national institutions have weakened and we cannot afford to let them slide. The Rule of Law must prevail at all times. The public services must be made more meritocratic and independent. Any signs of state capture, which enables governments to use the system to perpetuate its rule, has to be resisted for us to progress.

4. Fundamentals need to be made more sustainable

The integrity of the Budget and the Five Year and Long-Term Perspective Plans must be continuously protected. There must not be lapses or excuses to meet short-term political expediencies.

If budget deficits, balance of payment weaknesses and the national and personal debt and particularly inflation are allowed to deteriorate or even ignored, our current economic strengths can collapse very quickly. The rakyat can then be badly hit and will ask why they should suffer and continue to be patient and too tolerant of inefficiencies.

It’s no use lauding over our present relative economic strengths as these can turn sour very fast. The crucial determining factor to our continuing progress is local and international confidence in our capacity and future prospects to manage the country fairly and prudentially.

Foreign and domestic investment and the brain drain and the highest illicit capital outflows per head can rapidly worsen if we do not adopt more competent, competitive and liberal policies, despite what some half-baked politicians may say and do.

The world does not owe us a living and we must fight and find our way in the highly competitive world of globalisation, whether we like it or not. Let’s not listen or be influenced by the theories of half-baked extremist politicians who may be acting like frogs in the well.

5. Our national and self confidence

Finally, we must resolve to raise our self confidence, our national confidence and indeed the international confidence in our future potential for continued progress?

The whole world is itself experiencing uncertainty, and some lack of confidence on all fronts.

The world economy and Malaysia’s are struggling along at a slow pace, inter alia, due to economic mismanagement, war mongering, the current unstable oil prices, unpredictable climate changes caused largely by mankind, stifling pollution, and poor health standards and diseases, severe extremist militant threats like the IS, social unrest generated by poverty and the consequent wide income disparities and tremendous competition under globalisation.

Given this highly challenging environment - how much confidence do we Malaysians have to overcome these critical challenges to beat the odds and to overcome our structural weaknesses, to continue to progress steadfastly?

We need to question our conscience as individuals and as a nation very sincerely and carefully, with a worldwide view and a long term perspective. Are we prepared to face these challenges dynamically or with the old modes of thinking within the box?

Personally, I believe that Malaysians will feel more confident only if the vital issues mentioned above are thoroughly, sincerely and strongly addressed by our leaders at all levels, with greater urgency and firmer resolve.

In my 80th year, as part of the Merdeka generation , and like the Group of 25, we all wish that our government and all Malaysians resolve to revive the Merdeka Spirit of a happy and progressive Malaysia.

For the New Year 2015, we have to resolve to face and overcome these vital issues, or we will not move forward; but instead we could decline.

Let’s all therefore then resolve to overcome our challenges, God willing and to have a Happy and Blessed New Year for 2015 and beyond for all Malaysians!

RAMON NAVARATNAM is chairperson of Asli/Centre of Public Policy Studies.