Singaporeans the least happy people in Asia
Jul 13, 2006
The Straits Times
LONDON - OF ALL the countries in the Asean region, Vietnam has the most to smile about and Singapore the least, according to a list of the happiest countries on the planet.
A new study published yesterday ranked the small South-east Asian country as 12th on a list of 178 nations, beating big-economy behemoths such as Britain and the United States in a survey that measured people's well-being and their impact on the environment.
Singapore, on the other hand, fared the worst of all the Asean and Asian nations ranked, coming in at 131st.
Compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF), the Happy Planet Index painted a different order of world wealth.
Abandoning what it termed 'crude ratings' of countries according to economic indicators like gross domestic product, the NEF intended the new index to strip life back to the basics - measuring life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental impact.
Island nations did well in the rankings, with the tiny South Pacific nation of Vanuatu topping the list. 'People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little,' said Mr Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
Industrial countries, perhaps unsurprisingly, fared badly on the index - Britain came in at 108th while the US ranked 150th. Most of the bottom 10 countries were African nations, with Zimbabwe coming in last.
'The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policymakers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world,' said NEF's policy director Andrew Simms. -- AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
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Singaporeans are least happy because they are never satisfied. They are always so kiasu and forever craving for more and more. How can you be happy when you are always looking over your shoulders so that you do not get stabbed in the back? How can you be happy when you have to work long hours just to survive and stay in the race? How can you be happy when you have to spend all your free time making sure your children get to their tuitions so that they are keeping up with the rest for their peers? Many more reasons.............
ReplyDeleteWhat a way to spend your entire life !!!
I do feel so sorry for the Singaporeans.
Serve them right....they deserve the misery...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you black feline. btw, what r u doing in dubai?
ReplyDeleteworking there...it's ten thousand nine hundred and ninety nine times better than out stuffed up little miserable place! Hope to gather a few good men and women (mature one)to explore biz there.. Im not keen in typical idiotic sporeans who want u to clear the shit for all things b4 they go along...
ReplyDeletei am singaporean
ReplyDeletewe have to argue with logic
for example this type of survey results is out... it hit you with.. wah lau... how can that be but we have to question questions. on the journey in the bus with all the cacophony of jumbled noise... i still managed to reflect about us singaporeans... it is true, we don't enjoy as much as before.. we work so hard.. 9-5 is a job which stretches beyond... we see other singaporeans rush through their life with ease(but deep down inside, all have their own difficulties, worries and sadly, also debts). it is proclaim that 80-90% housing is house-owned but in reality many are saddled with huge housing debts. we see the GOV telling sporeans how to run our lives and that i can take it but to see the GOV control the lives of singaporeans, that is sad. looking back at the survey, i feel that generally we are not as sad the people as surveyed but there is much unhappiness here. i believe it will get worse when the income divide becomes too big between the GOV and the common people which is now already. i can only shudder at the thought of the ignorant people who continue to gripe about the GOV but still give the GOV the blank check to run the country. we are supposed to be one of the riches country in the world but who have the money actually. you tell me, then...
it's almost psychic of the government to come up with a smile campaign as if to counter such results
ReplyDeleteYes, 4 million smiles to show the world leaders in September that Singaporeans are a happy lot.
ReplyDeleteHow pathetic, I hope you lot will smile all the way to the next election. What a sad and pathetic lot you are!!!
its 4 million minus 1 already. i'm not contributing any smile, can't find one reason why i should smile for the government.
ReplyDeletehave you found any reason? perhaps you might share so i can find some remote reason that might put a smile on my face for the government.
How to be happy? After they upgrade the transportation fees, they want to take away your highway buses, and make you spend hours taking the MRT. You have more time to stare blank and be depressed, they expect you to celebrate that with A SMILE? Good grief!
ReplyDeleteThe PAP is a very fair and thoughtful govt. They think for the welfare of Singaporeans and the happiness for all. What are you all complaining about? You have a roof over your heads, 3 square meals, schools for you children, top notch medical facilities, good shopping malls for you to go and jalan-jalan and to enjoy the air-con. What else do you want, you ungrateful lot? Just cannot satisfy anyone these days!!!
ReplyDeleteDo you mean to say that after you get all these benefits you want freedom of speech as well? I suppose you also want to be able to decide what you do with your own CPF money too? Gosh, you Singaporeans ARE a demanding lot, aren't you? never satisfied!!!
wah like this hor, i wanna migrate to Vietnam liao...no wonder my friends who are highly educated and have good earning power stay in China don't want to come back. U say leh? most of us are just mediocre, how can tarhan like that? Maybe govt really got think of us, they let us continue to be ignorant, so we don't feel the pain lor... so thoughtful hor they all. :p
ReplyDeleteBe thankful for what you have. The PAP will not let you down. They will look after you when you are old and when you need help. Smile and be one in 4 million.
ReplyDeletethat's the spirit! we must be thankful for what we have! and we should be thankful for the great exemplaries exhibited by our great leader/s!
ReplyDeleteour leader is capable of working pass the age of 80 and earning in millions a year! and one whom is even willing to climb out of his death bed to set things straight if he felt that things aren't going right!
of course the government will look after the old folks when they are old and become needy! look at all the old folks' home and retirement villages! you just need to fork out more money to pay for your retirement! isn't that great?
with the average age of an average Singaporean handing in their ICs at the age of 80, i certainly do not wish to work pass the age of 80, in fact, i would choose to retire at the age of 55!
smile for the government? if every elderly working pass the age of 60 is earning millions too, i'll be smiling for the government!
Except for the minority of rich people who earn "peanuts" most Singapore live on an illusion that they have everything just like anon of 12.09pm listed out. A colleague of mine, has a pretty happy family when faced with possible job security problem said "Sigh! you know I have a 25 years HDB mortgage loan to pay and I am 48 years old already. Even if my job is secured I don't think I can retire at 62" This is very typical of a common Singapore family. The sad truth is most Singaporeans are in denial and do not want to think about it. They think it will go away or if not, government will have to take care of them as many comments above seem to suggest. The problem is if things really go wrong and housing price collapse, even our "rich" government is in no possition to bail out all affected Singaporeans. It is too huge a problem. Foreign talents and foreign investements, they can still smile because they have alternatives but not the ordinary Singaporeans!
ReplyDeleteWell, the only thing you can do is to be obedient and smile. Who knows, your friend might win the lotto and all his problems will be solved. If he does not win the lotto, then all I can say is...................he is f**ked.
ReplyDeleteSorry, that is the way the cookie crumbles.
Risking Death and Dismemberment: Court Date with Destiny
ReplyDeleteSummons to an accused person
Dated this 4th day of July, 2006 (funny it wasn't stuck on the door until more than 2 weeks later)
Case ID: SC-019929-06
Charge No: TC-007025-2006
Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68) Section 158-160
Charge:
You, KOH CHONG KIANG (NRIC No S1471858C), the leesee of Apartment Block 536 Upper Cross Street #11-245 Singapore 050536, are charged that you have failed to pay the outstanding conservancy and service charges for the months of December 2003 to September 2005 (actually, Dec 2003 to date) of $529.00 (actually, the number seemed to have gone up and down) due and owing to the Town Council of Jalan Besar within 14 days from the date of service on you of a written demand dated 10 March 2006 and that you have thereby committed an offence under Section 39(7) of the Town Councils Act (Cap 329A) and punishable under the said Section thereof.
You are hereby required to appear on the 3rd day of August, 2006 at 6.00pm in person before the Subordinate Court No. CT 26N at Singapore and you are hereby warned that if you shall, without just excuse, neglect or refuse to appear on the said date, a Warrant may be issued to compel your attendance.
1) There's only enough balance in my CPF to service the mortgage for 2 more months.
2) The utilities bill has been outstanding for more than 6 months.
3) Not taking into account other non-recoverable debt owing to Singtel, Starhub and M1.
4) Telling the MP Low Meng See in 3 visits but seeing his face only once, just before the election - so I was surprised to learn that somebody was privileged to smash MP Seng Hang Thong in the face - but not getting the message through, only to find him off the radar screen after the election.
5) Is it an offence to be poor and jobless?
At the time I'm due to appear in court, Dr Chee Soon Juan and Ms Chee Siok Chin's application
to challenge the constitutionality of the summary judgment for the very simple reason that it does not allow for a trial to take place, the Courts scheduled the application to be heard not only on the same day but at the same time as the summary judgment - 3 August 2006 at 10 am, would be known.