Malaysia Ranked 16th Most Peaceful Country

If you’re looking for a place to visit, maybe you don’t have to go far- according to the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2019, Malaysia is ranked the 16th most peaceful country in the world!

As for South East Asia, Malaysia also ranked comfortably as the third most peaceful country in the region, behind Japan and Singapore.

The Global Peace Index, compiled by a non-profit think tank, The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), ranked countries based on various factors to indicate the level of peace in a particular country such as the level of political instability, the likelihood of violent demonstrations, the number and duration of internal conflict level of criminal activities, military expenditure and many more.

Malaysia’s Defence Minister posted about this impressive accomplishment with a snippet of his interview with Bernama on Twitter.

Laporan Indeks Keamanan Dunia ini juga meletakkan Malaysia sebagai negara ke-3 paling aman di Asia selepas Jepun dan Singapura.

Peningkatan ini adalah satu pencapaian membanggakan, dan diharapkan keamanan negara ini terus dipertahankan secara bersama. pic.twitter.com/XHbviNBWdE

— Mohamad Sabu (@MSabu_Official) January 15, 2020

In the interview, he highlighted the importance of the GPI, as it will attract tourists and foreign investors to the country.

“Right now, we are in a good position compared to the 26th in 2018 and it’s something to be proud of. We hope to improve even more the future,” he said when appearing as a guest on the ‘Bicara Naratif’ programme.

At the same time, the ministry is also committed to improving security in Sabah and Sarawak to counter external threats and encroachment including the series of kidnapping incidents.

Mohamad said the security in Sabah and Sarawak is under control, with the operations conducted by the three military wings – army, navy and air force.

“In fact, the MAF (Malaysian Armed Forces) also maintains its commitment and role with the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) by strengthening security controls in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone),” he said.

He added that the cooperation with Indonesia and the Philippines is also strengthened to counter ongoing issues in the region and have led to a drop in criminal activities in areas that are considered hot spots.

Meanwhile, the ministry is also drafting the Defence White Paper (DWP), which is the roadmap and strategic action plan for Malaysia’s defence and security industry in facing ongoing threats in the country for the next 10 years. The DWP was tabled and passed by the Dewan Rakyat on Dec 2, setting out the strategic direction of the country’s defence for a period of 2020 to 2030 to protect Malaysia’s interests and defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.