A country's happiness; social cohension; and how they foster patriotism

I have just read through the annual list listing the happiness level of every country around the world on Businessweek, and I must say it has strike a chord with me. And the most important point is that it says that its not just about the money. In short, just like what God and Jesus Christ said in the Bible- and as with all other religious books have aso stated- money cannot lead to happiness; or rather money alone will not buy happiness.

And therefore its not a surprise that Denmark still tops the list. In fact the rank depends on the factors of freedom, social tolerance, individual benevolence and expressions of gratitude, and also religion. In short, those countries whose citizens, and government fosters such an environment, and treat each other fairly, are gonna be ones who will be happier.

While Singapore isn't ranked, I think that Singapore, in general, and Singaporeans are generally not happy citizens. This is because we have a money-obsessed culture, and we are far short on freedom, social tolerance, benevolence. We are also not particularly religious as a people. And our government doesn't help especially when its so overbearing, and so cold.

Its fair to say that we Singaporeans do not have an equal partner relationship with our government. Its more like we have a master-servant relationship, and we do whatever our master tells us to do.

And that simply doesn't help. I will talk about this in quick terms why.

1. Government policy on people strife people's natural instinct. In short, when the government starts taking singaporeans for granted, and treats them badly, there will be no love for them, and less commitment towards the people.

And when a 62 year old man is fined $200 for oversleeping on a park bench- just for that, as if that's a crime in the first place- it emphasises on how overbearing the government has become in society. There's a difference in having law and regulations that's based on common sense, and laws & regulations that's based on a completely ridiculous notion.

2. People do not have a say or share in the country. The government generally says and do, and gingerly rents out the share to the people; but the people have no say nor do they have a share. Why?

I mean, look. In the private sector, Temasek and GIC owns 60% of it. And the rest is dominated by foreign MNCs. So everything is dictated to the people by these entitles. If local people want to set up a small business however, he generally has to go through a huge amount of bureaucracy. Then he has to face massive costs in terms of rent, supplies, and taxes. And then he has to compete with state-owned companies in the same area. If he owns a fruit shop, and then he has to face NTUC, he's sure to lose a lot of business, and at the same time, face high rents, expensive start-up costs and pay more because he's only a single dealer.

And when Singaporeans are shut out of the economy, and have no choice but to be an employee for a state-owned firm or as a lowly civil servant, then they don't feel like they are being respected. Instead of their instincts being respected, they are treated as kids, and as disrespected as possible. And with such treatment, and with people unable to fulfill their dreams, then they will not feel very committed.

3. Singapore society has a long way to go. Let's face it: after years of government policy that forces us to look after our own self-interest, we have become a bo-chap society, one which doesn't care much for other people. Instead of having a do unto neighbours, as you do unto yourself attitude, we have not become that.

And a society that only looks after its own individual self-interests and not of others is not a cohesive society. And a non-cohesive society weakens the social fabric of any nation. To have a cohesive society is to understand that we have a stake in each other's lives, and that what we do affects others. And so, if we see an old woman being unable to pay her rent, pay for her daily meals despite working hard all her life, that affects us even if she's not our grandmother. And if we see a person being rounded up and put behind bars, without an access to the due process, that affects us even if he's not a friend of ours.

That's why government has a role to play: we can start reforming the current approach to reflect that society has a role to play, and that we have a role to play in each other's life and that we must take care of each other. This means that the government must liberalise their policies, and stop being overbearing. They have to extend all opportunities(social, economic, and political) to all of us, not just the favoured few. They must reduce the current pay levels of the government itself, so that there's no more Swiss-Somalia levels. The government must start respecting all of us as people. They must de-politicise the judiciary and start approaching the issue of law as one that is pragmatic and not ideologic, and which takes account of the level of crime, in consideration to the level of punishment that is needed. The government must also treat us like equal partners, and not as servants or kids to be whipped.

And most importantly of all, the government must give all citizens their dignity back as a people. And then the people must respond as well. That if they do this, then surely, we wouldn't need superficial efforts like NDP, or National Education, or NS or emptily reciting the Pledge everyday just because we have to.

In the end, when we as people are committed to each other, that we have a proper set of values that all of us share, and that the government finally treats us as equal partners, then we have a cohesive society, and that helps people feel more committed, more ready to show patriotism when the hard times come around.