As the day for state elections to be held in six states draws nearer, a recent study has revealed which state performed the best in terms of upholding democracy.
Selangor named most democratic state, Perlis at bottom
According to a study titled “Malaysian Democracy League” which was conducted by institutional reform advocacy group CSO Platform for Reform, it found that Selangor was the “most democratic” state with a score of 69%, while Perlis languished at the bottom at 34%.
Speaking at a press conference, co-founder of youth voting rights group Undi-18 Tharma Pillai said the study was to measure the level of democracy within state assemblies and their commitment towards institutional reforms.
As some of the states in the league are expected to head to the polls, we can judge for ourselves whether they (state government) have been pushing for institutional reforms.
“We are urging the respective caretaker state governments to seriously consider the scoring and we do hope those entering the polls may utilise the shortcoming of lower ranked states to be included in their manifesto to bring progressive and functional institutional reforms,” he said as quoted by Malay Mail.
According to the list, Negeri Sembilan (60%) and Perak (54%) bagged the second and third spot, while Sabah (40%) and Terengganu (37%) were with Perlis in the bottom three.
Other states which occupied the middle of the list were Pahang (53%), Penang (52%), Kelantan (46%), Sarawak and Kedah (45%, Johor (42%) and Melaka (41%).
Tharma added that a total of 14 parameters were used in making the list, such as formation of a Special Select Committee and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on a state level, public hearing of PAC meetings and appointment of PAC chairman from the Opposition, Chief Minister’s Question Time, introduction of a shadow Cabinet, Anti-Hopping legislations, duration of assembly sittings, number of backbenchers and recognition of the Opposition leader, and fair allocations for elected representatives.
However, he said these were not final and more may be added for future studies.
Do you agree with the ranking? Let us know in the comments!
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