Who’s a good neighbour? Malaysia No 2 in SEA on ‘Good Country’ scale
Among Asean majors, Thailand was next highest at 57th, followed by the Philippines (74th), Indonesia (83rd), and Vietnam (115th). The Lion City was 24th in the index.
Malaysia's best contribution was in the area of “Prosperity and Equality”, in which it came in 9th out of the 163 countries worldwide and just two spots behind Singapore, due to its open markets and direct investments in other nations.
The country scored worst on “Planet and Climate” and was ranked an ignominious 155th, behind even the 138th of haze-exporting Indonesia. Malaysia was marked down for high exports with dangerous pesticides, carbon emissions, and consumption of ozone-depleting substances.
“We're not making moral judgments about countries. What we mean by a Good Country is something much simpler: it’s a country that contributes to the greater good of humanity,” the index's creator, activist Simon Anholt, explained.
“A country that serves the interests of its own people, but without harming ― and preferably by advancing ― the interests of people in other countries too.”
In other areas, Malaysia placed 53rd for Science and Technology, 69th for Culture, 46th in International Peace and Security, 70th for contributions to World Order, and 61st for Health and Wellbeing.
Scandinavian countries dominated the index, with Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands taking the first three spots. Libya was last.
The index measures each country's contributions in five subcategories under the seven main areas, and is in its inaugural year.
It uses data contributed by the United Nations, the World Bank and other international organisations.
Anholt addressed the possible clash between how the countries are ranked and how they are perceived by their own citizens with this explanation.
“The Good Country Index doesn’t measure what countries do at home. This isn't because we think these things are unimportant, of course, but because there are plenty of surveys that already measure them,” Anholt said.
“What the Index does aim to do is to start a global discussion about how countries can balance their duty to their own citizens with their responsibility to the wider world, because this is essential for the future of humanity and the health of our planet.”
from Malay Mail Online | All http://ift.tt/1RSUcj7
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