M'SIA RANK 36TH IN INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY RIGHTS INDEX

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia are ranked 36th in the 2009
International Property Rights Index (IPRI) but more measures are needed to
strengthen the system of property rights protection said Malaysia Think Tank
director general Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

Wan Saiful said this was needed as a data from IPRI 2009 also showed that
countries that protect physical and intellectual property of their people, enjoy
nearly nine times higher GDP per capita than countries ranked lower in property
rights protections.

"IPRI 2009 presents us with evidence that property rights protection is
related to a nation's economic development. Poverty eradication can only happen
in Malaysia if we incorporate measures to strengthen our system of property
rights protection, both physical property and intellectual property.

"Our policy-makers and politicians should ensure our poverty eradication
strategy includes steps to strengthen property rights," he said in a statement
here, Tuesday.

"We have done reasonably well in protection of Physical Property Rights but
there is room for improvement in our Legal and Political system as well as
protection of Intellectual Property Rights," he said.

He said among others, important steps must include improving our
rule of law and judicial independence as well as more rigorous enforcement of
Intellectual Property Rights to curb copyright and patent piracy.

"This should be seen as an integral part of our poverty eradication
strategy," he added.

Though Malaysia are ranked 36th among 115 countries globally, it takes up
second place behind Singapore in ASEAN.

The 2009 IPRI is a composite ranking of three comprehensive areas of
property rights, Legal and Political Environment, Physical Property Rights and
Intellectual Property Rights.

Of the 115 countries, the top quartile (a quartile is any of the three
values which divide the sorted data set into four equal parts) averaged
USD39,991 (RM139,000) in GDP per capita while the average in the bottom 20 per
cent was only USD4,341 (RM15,000) per capita.

The second, third and forth quartile averaged USD23,982 (RM83,000),
USD11,748 (RM41,000) and USD4,891 (RM16,000) respectively.

-- BERNAMA