Indonesia's Legal System Ranks Third Highest in ASEAN

According to the Rule of Law Index from the independent research institution World Justice Project (WJP), Indonesia's legal system index score is relatively high on the ASEAN scale.

The WJP defines rule of law as a system of laws, institutions, norms, and strong societal commitment to upholding four universal principles: accountability, fair laws, open government, and impartial and accessible justice.

The WJP assesses the quality of rule of law based on surveys of legal experts and the general public in 142 countries.

The survey records respondents' perceptions regarding eight key assessment indicators, namely:

1. Limitations on government powers;
2. Level of corruption;
3. Government transparency;
4. Protection of human rights (HAM);
5. Order and security;
6. Implementation and enforcement of regulations;
7. Civil justice; and
8. Criminal justice.

The survey results are formulated into a score on a scale of 0-1. The higher the score, the better a country's legal system is assumed to be, and vice versa.

Using this method, Indonesia achieved a Rule of Law Index score of 0.53 in 2023, slightly below the global average of 0.55, but ranking 3rd highest in ASEAN.

Only Singapore and Malaysia in ASEAN achieved higher scores than Indonesia, while other neighboring countries scored lower, as shown in the graph.

The WJP also notes that the legal system index scores in ASEAN countries in 2023 generally remained the same as last year.

Decreases in scores were only recorded in Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar, while index data for Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste were not yet available.