Fundamental rights: M'sia ranks 59 of 66 nations
Malaysia ranks number 59 among 66 countries and second to last within the upper-middle income group in protecting fundamental rights, according to the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2011.
Malaysia ranks number 59 among 66 countries and second to last within the upper-middle income group in protecting fundamental rights, according to the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2011.
In comparison with upper-middle income group standards, the government is reasonably accountable.
Malaysia is also relatively safe, ranking 1st among 19 income peers and on a par with countries such as France and Belgium, the Washington, DC-based World Justice Project (WJP) said in a press release issued yesterday.
However, corruption, political interference, and impunity still exist and there is ample room for the efficiency and transparency of government agencies to improve.
“Efforts should also be made in the area of access to justice,” said WJP, adding that Malaysia ranks 44th globally, and 14th in the upper-middle income group.
Abuses by the police still occur, it noted further, while the situation posed by violations of fundamental rights is of particular concern.
The WJP Rule of Law Index is a new, quantitative assessment tool that introduces new data regarding a variety of dimensions of the rule of law - such as whether government officials are accountable, and whether legal institutions protect fundamental rights and allow ordinary people access to justice.
It measures the 66 counties on the extent of their governments’ powers, corruption, order and security, fundamental rights, openness of government, effectiveness of regulatory enforcement and criminal justice and access to civil justice.
Adherence to the rule of law varies widely around the world and is positively correlated with per capita income—developed countries perform best on all dimensions.
The study, however, found that even within wealthy countries, not all people have the same experience with the government and the law.
In many developed nations, the civil justice systems are largely inaccessible to disadvantaged groups, and the poor are more exposed to extortion and abuse by the police and other officials, said the report.
“The rule of law is essential to the work of all parts of society. It is the key to the promotion of political stability, economic opportunity, social progress and fundamental fairness and equity”, said World Justice Project founder William H Neukom.
“Without the rule of law, women and children suffer atrocities, corrupt governments divert public resources needed for public works and economic growth is stifled,” he added.
The index’s rankings and scores are the product of a rigorous data collection and aggregation process. Data comes from a global poll of the general public and detailed questionnaires administered to local legal experts.
While currently covering 66 countries around the world, the index is set to expand to 100 countries in 2012.
To date, over 66,000 regular citizens and 2000 experts from around the world have participated.
New Zealand leads Asia in most areas, followed by Japan; Cambodia and Pakistan obtain the lowest scores. China obtains relatively high scores on order and security, open government and effective criminal justice. However, judicial independence and protection of fundamental rights remain weak.
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa region fall into the middle of the global rankings in most categories, with relatively high marks on absence of crime.
Yet, their governments show serious weaknesses in the areas of accountability, checks and balances, openness, and respect for fundamental rights.
South Africa and Ghana lead the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Overall, the region obtains lower scores than other areas of the world.
WJP executive director Hongxia Liu said achieving the rule of law is a constant challenge and a work in progress in all countries.
“The WJP’s Rule of Law Index is not designed to shame or blame, but to provide useful reference points for countries in the same regions, with comparable legal cultures and similar income levels,” said Liu.
Among the other highlights of the WJP index:
- Sweden and Norway lead the world in rule of law
- U.S. trails behind Europe in rule of law
- China shows significant improvements, but still lags in several key areas
- Brazil leads the BRICs, Russia last
- Latin America has the highest crime rates in the world
- Police discrimination affects most rich countries
- Ghana leading low-income countries
- Italy is the worst performer among wealthy nations
Among the funders of the Index are the Neukom Family Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and LexisNexis. A statistical sensitivity analysis of the Index is being conducted by the Econometrics Unit of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
