Cambodians Rank Low in World Happiness

A general view shows a mix of high and low-rise buildings in Phnom Penh on August 25, 2021.

Government scorns analysts and blames bias

PHNOM PENH–A report which looks at each country’s happiness has ranked Cambodia 8th out of 9 ASEAN countries and 114th in the world.



Civil society and social observers say the assessment reflects the real-life experiences of Cambodian people but the government says its authors are looking at the country from a biased viewpoint.



The ranking comes from the World Happiness 2019-2021 report, now in its tenth year, drawn up by independent experts from the international Sustainable Development Solutions Network using data from 146 countries.



National average life evaluation or happiness is explained in terms of GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and freedom from corruption.



In ASEAN, Cambodia is only ahead of Myanmar which ranks ninth. The happiest population in ASEAN is Singapore, followed by the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Laos. Brunei is not included in the report.



Civil society and social observers say the report somewhat reflects real-life experiences as its scoring is based on individuals’ evaluations of their lives.



“This is the people’s voice and perception about the level of their happiness and the quality of their lives,” said Pech Pisey, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia.



“I think that four key indicators which may swing the result for Cambodia are corruption, freedom, life expectancy and social support,” Pisey said.



“Cambodia needs to double its efforts to improve in these areas. This report also echoes other reports of credible think tanks and international organizations who say freedom, widespread corruption and weak social justice remain Cambodia’s biggest challenges.”



Ro Vannak, a co-founder of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy and assistant professor of political science, said the survey is appropriate and acceptable in the current context of Cambodia, where the government lacks efficiency in providing accountable and transparent public services, as well as good governance, which could raise the high possibility of corruption.



“Corruption and restrictions on freedoms are what pulls the score down to such a low level,” he said.



“We know that corruption is cancer in the arteries of all countries around the world, especially in developing countries.



The dissolution of the opposition party [CNRP] and restrictions on civil society organizations and unions, specifically in the NagaWorld strike where no proper solution has been found, were also tempting to negatively affect people's perception.



Vannak said Cambodians tend to consider corruption pretty much a common thing in society despite anti-corruption laws and the Anti-Corruption Unit.



Corruption is frequently practiced in the form of bribery or giving gifts. The question, “are you working in a place where you can earn more in addition to your salary?” was commonly asked. This showed the culture of corruption in Cambodians’ mindset, he said.



Corruption in this situation is considered simple, but in a fully transparent country, it is a crime and cancer, Vannak added.



Political analyst Meas Ny said the ranking reflects the realities of the country and freedom is the indicator that negatively swings the score.



Government measures and resolutions are still limited and do not show its full willingness to address social issues, which sometimes leads to restrictions and imprisonment, he said, citing the NagaWorld case and land conflicts where protesters were subjected to violence, threats and years of detention.



“I am not so pessimistic that I score 0 for freedom,” he said. “I have noticed progress and improvement, so I would give 6 to 7 points for that. However, I also want the government to work harder to earn the remaining 3-4 points to gain more popularity and support from our own people.



“That way, the government won’t face any hindrance as they have voters’ support but if they continue to upset the people, the government will be in a constant fear of losing elections.”



Government spokesperson Phay Siphan said it is common for international organizations to release reports and lower Cambodia’s reputation.



He said Cambodian social analysts or civil society bodies always try to exaggerate the situation and only analyze with a foreign bias. They seemed to hate their own country and always admired foreign countries, he said.



“The report does not reflect Cambodian society,” he said.



“I don’t blame the organization which released the report but those who claim to be social analysts probably mean that Cambodia is weaker or lower than Vietnam. So, do they want Cambodia to become communist?”



He said Cambodia has the citizen’s office to promote accountability, supported by Germany, where people can raise any issue facing them. Vietnam and Thailand do not have such offices.



Therefore, he said, those social analysts do not know anything or they​​ do not observe Cambodian society from all corners.



In ASEAN, Singapore scores 6, 480 points in the report, while the Philippines has 5, 904. Thailand has 5, 891, Malaysia 5, 711, Vietnam 5, 485, Indonesia 5, 240 and Laos just 5,140.



Cambodia scored 4, 640 points and Myanmar 4, 394. The happiest country was Finland, whereas the unhappiest one was Afghanistan.


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