People here like to pitch themselves against the achievements – for better or worse – of other countries.

They greet each revelation with a great deal of cheering or hair tearing, whatever the case may be, and, of course, critics scour the statistics for opportunities to hit out at the government.

There are also occasions in which the mainstream media, misreading its national service, has been known to play up the good news and minimise – or leave out – the bad.

But when it opted recently to publish a report about Singapore being ranked Asia’s “unhappiest” country, it unwittingly ran a misleading piece.

It was a British-based report that not only described Singapore as Asia’s unhappiest nation, but also graded it the 131st of 178 nations in the world.

The Happy Planet Index, compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF), named the top 10 countries as follows: Vanuatu, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Panama, Cuba, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Vietnam is Asia’s top ranking.

To describe these countries as the happiest in the world is, to put it mildly, far from reality, and I was sure when I read it in the newspapers that it wasn’t the intention.

If Columbia, Cuba and the others were the globe’s happiest places, there would surely be millions wanting to live there to share their happiness. Instead, its largely poverty-stricken people are emigrating in droves.

On the other hand, Britain came in at 108th while the US ranked worst than Singapore – at 150th.

The misleading report (a radio forum later put it right) set Singaporeans off the wrong track. A visit to the original website soon explained to me that it was about environmental efficiency rather than human happiness.

It clearly explains: “The Index doesn’t reveal the ‘happiest’ country in the world. It shows the relative efficiency with which nations convert the planet’s natural resources into long and happy lives for their citizens.”

For the government, however, no two global rankings are equal in importance. It depends on the subject.

It appears to be interested only in rankings on the economy and social achievements but not those critical ones about press freedom or human liberties (dismissed by Lee Kuan Yew with “we will not allow foreigners to tell us what to do”.)

In the past 40 years Singapore has been ranked very well. It is the world’s most global city and is graded the world’s best in economic competitiveness, productivity and battling corruption.

It also has the world’s best airport and the busiest container port (by cargo volume) as well as the highest Internet penetration. All these were widely reported by the local media. But Singapore also has a reputation or poor rankings in non-economic fields (see graphic).

Be that as it may, the index has cranked up much head-nodding among people who agree that Singaporeans are an unhappy lot despite their comparative wealth. “Look at the MRT commuters and workers at Shenton Way with their long, sour faces.”

Ironically, the government was appealing to the citizens to greet visiting delegates of the IMF-World Bank meeting due in September with “four million smiles”. A tough act to achieve!

What’s the problem? Everyone has his pet reason, ranging from “unbearable” pressures of life to overly high expectations to an incurable national trait of excessive worrying – in good times or bad. Social trends leave people unsmiling; divorce is rising and there is an average of one suicide a day.

“Most Singaporeans don't know how to be happy. Either they are struggling or, if they’re not, they are worried about something or other,” someone commented. Its small size magnifies these potentials.

Humour has long become a casualty to the unceasing reminders by the authorities to work hard or suffer the consequences.

Costs are always rising, unemployment dole doesn’t exist and besides, the leaders – straight-laced people who are unable to laugh at themselves – also set the tone for the country.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong quipped, “We even take our fun seriously.”

One cynic described Singapore as “a Disneyland without the laughter”, where humour is not allowed, referring to a blogger whose newspaper column was banned because he wrote a satire piece on the rising cost of living.

Some of Singapore’s neighbours view us as too serious and humourless, just like the Germans and the Japanese, who had turned their war-torn countries into world giants in a single generation.

They did it armed with a single-minded purpose and extreme hard work – not a light-hearted approach.

Singapore, too, has also run an endless “marathon” with the same degree of urgency, except now it has to run faster because other runners are catching up. This could explain the long faces here.

o Seah Chiang Nee is a veteran journalist and editor of the information website littlespeck.com

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