Malaysia falls one notch in global democracy ranking, still branded 'flawed democracy'

• Published date: 03 February 2023
• Publication title: Malay Mail Online

Malaysia fell one spot in the 2022 Economist Intelligence Unit democracy index released yesterday, ranking 40th globally and scoring among the worst for civil liberties.

The ranking makes the South-east Asian nation of 32 million people a 'flawed democracy' even as it scored well for electoral process and pluralism assessment, according to the research and analysis division of London-based financial magazine The Economist.

'Understandably, all eyes are on Ukraine and its fight for self-determination. However, the Asia region is also subject to conflicting territorial claims and geopolitical flashpoints.

'The challenge for countries in the region is how to navigate old and new threats to sovereignty and maintain a resilient democracy in the long term,' the report's editor Joan Hoey said in an accompanying press release.

Within the 'flawed democracy' bracket, Malaysia...