High-income nation and the common man

By Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin

As if it means anything to the common man, the government is telling us once again that Malaysia will become a “high income nation” by 2020. We’re also told that absolute poverty has been eradicated, normal poverty is down to 0.06% from a high of 3.8% in 2009 and the unemployment rate is manageable.

The transformation towards high-income status apparently also requires the imposition of the goods and services tax and the “rationalisation” of various subsidies. We all know that “rationalisation” in this context is just a euphemism for “removal”. Certainly, both these measures have been major contributors to the rise in the cost of living, and the common man has no choice but to adjust to the challenges they pose.

People are not so much concerned with whether the nation can achieve high-income status as they are with whether they can live a decent life.

The level of happiness among citizens should be more important than an array of abstract statistical data that are computed to indicate a favourable economic situation that spells “high income nation”.

The happiness index and the indications of a high-income national status may be at variance when one examines the micro indicators.

Foremost among the parameters favourable to happiness is a peaceful country where it is relatively safe for citizens and visitors to move about freely without fear. The police are there to thwart criminal activities while the armed forces to neutralise external threats.

Other parameters are good healthcare, a credible education system and efficient physical and cyber connectivity. The justice system is humane and the laws are indifferent, executed without fear or favour. Human rights are upheld, and there is freedom of expression, freedom of worship and freedom of political affiliation.

Elements that would undermine happiness include an escalating cost of living that usually reduces the purchasing power of the middle and lower income groups, house prices that are beyond the reach of a normal wage earner and the siphoning of public money through corrupt practices and political malfeasance.

Be as it may, when we balance the upside and the downside of the happiness index and relate these to the economic index, we may find that people are generally not too concerned about whether they live in a high, middle or low income country as long as they can lead a manageable and happy life.

When people are happy with a relatively comfortable and secure life, the designation of high or low income for a nation does not matter. Such a situation would require a governance of integrity based on moral and ethical principles that oversee the equitable and just distribution of the nation’s assets and proper management of public funds to benefit the people.

Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin is an FMT reader.

With a firm belief in freedom of expression and without prejudice, FMT tries its best to share reliable content from third parties. Such articles are strictly the writer’s (or organisation’s) personal opinion. FMT does not necessarily endorse the views or opinions given by any third party content provider.