For 52 years after independence, Malaysia wasn’t that well known internationally.
Then Najib Razak aka Fearless Leader happened.
You might say Fearless put Malaysia on the world map. For a moment in time, we were the globe’s experts in international money laundering. Even Bernie Madoff bowed his head in tribute when no less an authority than the US’ Department of Justice declared Fearless’ 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) wealth fund the largest “theft” in world history.
Fearless et al helped invent a new word – kleptocracy – while whole forests had to be felled to supply the newsprint required to explain the fraud’s magnitude to the world. Books have been written. And a 1MDB movie has been made by Netflix.
Hollywood might take a trifle longer as it was, apparently, smitten by the conspicuous extravagance lavished it by Fearless’ portly partner, the champagne-swilling Felonious aka Jho Low. Incidentally, the latter is the protagonist in Netflix’s Man on the Run.
You’d be amazed by how many friends a country’s money can buy.
It is by way of this circuitous route that I’ve arrived at the reason behind my blog this week.
I read, with some incredulity, that Malaysia’s overall happiness had apparently plunged since Fearless’ status changed from Former PeeEm to First Felon.
This is the contention of one Lim Sian See, a social media influencer. Mr Lim said that Malaysia’s ranking in the World Happiness Report saw a continuous drop after Fearless was defeated in the 2018 general election.
Mr Lim said Malaysia’s happiness ranking had been rising throughout Fearless’ tenure. The index was introduced by the United Nations in 2013 while Fearless was leader from 2009 till 2018, at which point the ”happy” people of Malaysia kicked him out.
It was therefore the same cheery lot that allowed justice to take its course and, subsequently, consigned him to prison.
Ever the pedant, Mr Lim pointed out that Malaysia was ranked 56th in 2013 in the index and climbed to 35th in 2018, making it the second “happiest” country in Asean after Singapore.
Along those lines, Bhutan is the “happiest” country in the world. It may, of course, be entirely due to its yak butter but there does not seem to be many people queuing up to become its citizens.
Even so, Mr Lim is convinced by his arguments.
“After Najib fell, Malaysia’s ranking in this index kept falling and was slowly overtaken by other Asean countries,” he said in a doleful Facebook post.
Based on the report, Malaysia dropped from the 55th happiest country in the world in 2023 to the 59th position this year.
In the 2024 World Happiness Report, Singapore ranked 30, the Philippines (53), Vietnam (54), Thailand (58), Indonesia (80), Laos (94), and Cambodia (119).
Even so, I’m amazed that Malaysia, at its 59th spot, continues to be as happy as it is.
After Fearless’ ouster, Malaysians learnt the following facts:
We are among the most indebted countries in Asean with over RM1.5 trillion in debt.
The 1MDB fiasco didn’t just cost us US$4.5 billion but US$12.3 billion due to accumulated debt taken on to service 1MDB’s obligations.
The scale and scope of corruption in Fearless’ administration was frightening. And trust agencies once deemed sacred – the Pension’s Fund, Felda, the Pilgrims Fund, the Armed Forces Pension Fund – were looted to cover up the fraud.
Moreover, even after his conviction by three progressively higher Courts, Fearless never apologised to the Malaysian people. Nor has he shown any remorse.
You’d be depressed, too, if you’d just learnt these facts. Indeed, I’d say most Malaysians are as happy as Felonious being informed the champagne had run out.
But Felonious had never run out of champagne. He knew that all happiness depended on a leisurely breakfast.
ENDS
Speakeasy 