KUALA LUMPUR, 2 June 2009: Malaysia has been ranked in 26th place in the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2009, out of 144 countries surveyed, up four places compared with last year.
The GPI, which is now in its third year, is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and revealed that Malaysia received a favourable score for its high number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people.
Malaysia also came in fifth place out of 25 in this region.
The GPI, which was published today, also revealed the link between peace and the economic strength of a country, where the global economic downturn could affect the country’s peace and stability.
“The causes of peace are becoming apparent and the net economic benefit to humanity is substantial. Peace does have an economic value apart form the very real humanitarian values associated with it,” GPI founder Steve Killelea said in a statement here.
Citing Iceland as a prime example, he said the country which topped the index last year had fallen into fourth place following the collapse of its financial system. — Bernama
Gopal Raj Kumar says
What a load of cods wallop. What are the components of the index and how does one measure peace by a contribution to the very antithesis of peace, a military?
Iceland is an insular nation where apart from fishing (its resources now almost depleted from over fishing the north sea) it has little else to offer the world.
It’s totally incompetent insular government invested heavily in suspect junk bonds and had its treasury robbed by carpet-bagger type bond salesmen in a reflection of the insular nature of the state. Now they were in peace I assume from the index during that period? Or was it just simply being blissfully ignorant?