How does Malaysia compare to regional peers in rule of law?

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Malaysia's Rule of Law Ranking Among Regional Peers

Malaysia's performance in the global rule of law index shows a slight decline, placing it seventh out of 15 countries in the East Asia and Pacific region. This positioning indicates that while Malaysia has a moderate standing within its immediate geographical and economic groupings, several regional neighbours have demonstrated stronger adherence to the rule of law according to the surveyed metrics.
Regional Standing and Performance Metrics

In the latest World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, Malaysia scored 0.57, a 1.4 per cent decrease from its previous assessment, leading to a global rank of 54 out of 139 nations. Within the East Asia and Pacific region, which includes countries such as Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, Malaysia secured the seventh position. This places it behind other nations in the region that were not explicitly detailed in terms of their specific scores but are implied to have performed better to achieve higher rankings.
Comparison with Upper-Middle Income Countries

When assessed against other upper-middle income countries, Malaysia ranked tenth out of 40 surveyed nations. This comparison provides another lens through which to view its rule of law performance, suggesting that while it holds a respectable position among its income peers, there is still considerable room for improvement relative to other countries in this economic bracket. The index considers factors such as constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice in its assessments.
Performance Across Specific Rule of Law Factors

Globally, Malaysia's rankings across the eight categories highlight areas of relative strength and weakness. It achieved its highest global ranks in civil justice (34th) and criminal justice (45th), and also performed solidly in order and security (44th) and regulatory enforcement (46th). However, its performance was considerably lower in constraints on government powers (59th) and particularly in open government (104th) and fundamental rights (84th). These specific factor rankings provide a detailed breakdown of where Malaysia stands in relation to international benchmarks, offering insights into the varied application of rule of law principles across different domains.
Neighbouring Singapore's Performance

Neighbouring Singapore also experienced a decline in its rule of law score, slipping by 0.78 per cent. Despite this dip, Singapore maintained a stronger regional position, ranking fourth within the East Asia and Pacific region. Globally, Singapore achieved top-10 rankings in several categories, including being third for absence of corruption and order and security, and fourth for regulatory enforcement. While Singapore's performance also saw a decrease, its overall standing remains significantly higher than Malaysia's, particularly in key areas such as constraints on government power, open government, and fundamental rights where Singapore ranked 32nd, 34th, and 38th respectively.

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How does Malaysia compare to regional peers in rule of law?

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