THERE’S lesson to learn from the kindness and generosity shown by Malaysians at Istana Negara’s front entrance over the past week.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah showed how Malaysians can be compassionate and altruistic when he distributed fast-food and beverages to media practitioners at the palace gate.
We are not witnessing the same compassion in politicians who are muddled in an endless power struggle. Although it is unfair to equate the king’s and other Malaysians’ generosity with politicians’ behaviour, it is clear politicians have not shown a speck of compassion and kindness to each other lately.
The political turmoil has caused immense unhappiness to people from all walks of life. Worsened by the outbreak of Covid-19, the turmoil affects the economy, especially the financial market. It is also leaving emotional scars on a society that has now become fractious.
Just look at social media where there’s bad blood between the people. We can’t deny that many of us online can’t help but take sides and become adversaries — largely because of different political beliefs. But some quarters in society are beyond reason and convention. They are overly antagonistic to each other and shoot their mouths off when they read something they don’t like.
Take a close look at this nation, a melting pot of races, cultural and religious beliefs. She is a promised land with a promising future. But look closely at us, the people with that cantankerous conduct. Rubbing salt into the wound, average Malaysians are unhappy about the economy, with scarce job opportunities and prices of essentials going up.
The people are sad, angry and disappointed with what’s unfolding. They are concerned about the future of this nation if the problems are not quickly resolved. We will lose a considerable amount of time to see that the country moves in the right direction if politicians continue their incessant bickering.
You know, we can learn a lot from Nordic countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. One common thing these countries share is they are happy nations with happy citizens.
The World Happiness Report has shown that from 2012, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland consistently ranked the happiest countries. Finland ranked first for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2018. Norway was the happiest country in 2017 while Denmark made its mark twice in 2013 and 2016.
The report indicated Nordic countries ranked so high on the happiness hierarchy because they have political stability and prosperity, free education and healthcare, low crime rates, cushy social security nets and a relatively homogeneous population.
Malaysia is ranked the 80th happiest nation in 2019, a drop of 45 places compared with 2018 when it was ranked 35th. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia is ranked fourth behind Singapore (34th), Thailand (52nd) and the Philippines (69th).
What does it take for citizens to be happy with their country? Researchers of the report say happiness is the sheer feeling of satisfaction with the way one’s life is going. They use variables such as GDP per person, social support, healthy-life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, free from corruption, among others. They also look into how happiness has evolved over the years with a focus on technological advancements, social norms, conflicts and government policies that have driven those changes.
That’s why it’s vital for all of us to boost efforts to pursue happiness.
C’est la vie.
The writer, a former NST journalist, is now a film scriptwriter whose penchant is finding new food haunts in the country
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times