Malaysia among minority to improve rule of law index rank

 

Malaysia is among the minority of countries to see its Rule of Law Index ranking improve this year at number 55 in the Washington-based World Justice Project (WJP) annual survey among 142 countries.

Malaysia recorded an overall score of 0.57, above the global average of 0.55.

Regionally, Malaysia ranks 7th out of 15 countries in East Asia and the Pacific, according to the WJP.

On a scale from 0 to 1, the countries are scored across eight factors - constraints on government powers; absence of corruption; criminal justice; regulatory enforcement; fundamental rights; civil justice; and order and security.

Of the eight factors, Malaysia scored highest in the order and security category, which measures how well a society ensures the security of its people and property.

"Security is one of the defining aspects of any rule of law society and is a fundamental function of the state.

"It is also a precondition for the realisation of the rights and freedoms that the rule of law seeks to advance," said the WJP in a report of its survey findings.

At the same time, Malaysia scored below the global average in the open government category which measures the government's openness to share information, empower people with tools to hold the government accountable and foster citizen participation in public policy deliberations.

According to WPJ, since 2016, the rule of law has fallen in 78 percent of the countries studied. 

Between 2016 and 2023, fundamental rights had declined in 77 percent of countries surveyed, while Malaysia was among the exception.

WPJ said Malaysia also defied a similar downward trend over the past seven years on index scores for Constraints on Government Powers.

"Around the world, legislatures, judiciaries, and civil society - including the media - have all lost ground on checking executive power," according to the survey findings.

WPJ said other authoritarian trends also continued this year but at a slower rate compared to previous years.

"Constraints on Government Powers fell in 56 percent of countries, compared to 58 percent in 2022 and 70 percent in 2021.

"Likewise, a smaller majority of countries saw the overall rule of law decline in this year," said WJP.

On the other hand, it noted that more countries including Malaysia have reported declines in the functioning of justice systems.

Greater justice delays and weaker enforcement are largely to blame, it pointed out.

Other areas that Malaysia recorded below the global average score include guarantees for freedom of assembly and association as well as freedom of religion.

The Rule of Law Index relies on more than 149,000 household surveys and 3,400 legal practitioner and expert surveys to measure how the rule of law is experienced and perceived worldwide. - Mkini