I am sure Najib's personal happiness ranking has plummeted, says Khalid Samad

KUALA LUMPUR (March 21): It looks like Malaysia’s rankings in the World Happiness Report 2019 has resulted in an “exchange” between Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad (pictured) and ex-PM Najib Abdul Razak.

It started with Najib posting on Facebook about how after Khalid making a speech yesterday about Malaysia's 35th position in the 2018 World Happiness Report and in just hours, the new report for 2019 showed the country falling to No 80.

*Malaysia falls from No 35 to 80 in World Happiness Report

“Our country's position [in the index] at present is the lowest since the UN started publishing the [Happiness Index].

“Harapan ministers know that the people would not be happy when lied to consistently amid an economic downturn.

“It is fine if the people are not happy as along as Harapan leaders are happy after getting their positions,” Najib said in his Facebook posting which was reported by Malaysiakini.

Khalid replied by saying that Najib instead “might be the main contributor to the nation's ranking plummeting” .

“I am sure his personal happiness ranking has plummeted,” he told Malaysiakini.

Khalid said the 2019 report encompassed “surveys from 2018”.

“In the first half of 2018, the rakyat were unhappy. That is why they dumped Najib (in last year's general election).

“The second half of 2018 was difficult. Half were happy because Najib was out, and the other half upset for the same reason.

“Malaysia was in uncharted waters as far as much of the public was concerned. Many projects were stopped as they were being reviewed by the new administration,” and that “the general mood is still one of relative sadness because the impact of the previous administration is being realised,” Khalid explained to the news portal.

But the minister also added that he is “confident” that things “will be resolved and our ratings improve as we put things right.”

Najib then replied to Khalid's statement saying the minister “perhaps does not understand the term ‘rolling three year period’ described in the report.

He added that the poor ranking was due to the current administration’s numerous "U-turns" and "lies". 

"Are the rakyat happy that the cost of living keep on increasing, although the government had pledged to lower it?”

The report revealed that within Asean, the nations happier Malaysia are Singapore (placed at 34^th), Thailand (52^nd) and the Philippines (69^th).

The report is described as “a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be”.