Happiness index can be a supplement to GDP

THE Singapore Kindness Movement's Graciousness Index parallels Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Index in some ways ('Sylvia Lim, PAP MPs spar over happiness gauge'; Tuesday).

Workers' Party Member of Parliament Sylvia Lim's view that a country should not be wholly dependent on economic growth as a measure of progress has merits.

People's Action Party MP Cedric Foo's counter-argument that Singapore is not Bhutan is clear enough. However, Mr Pavan K. Varma, India's ambassador to Bhutan, has rightly observed that the spread of the idea of the Happiness Index from remote Bhutan reflects the inadequacy of economic activity as a measurement of success in many countries.

The Happiness Index, proposed in 1972 by Bhutan's former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, was taken up by the United Nations Development Programme and refined into the Human Development Index.

It was used to measure life expectancy, education and standards of living as a gauge of a nation's development.

In 2009, France proposed replacing the gross domestic product (GDP) with a net national product, which takes into consideration contentment of the people and the quality of public service alongside economic gain.

Recently, Britain announced plans for a happiness index with Prime Minister David Cameron noting that taken on its own, GDP is an incomplete way of measuring a country's progress.

In March this year, officials in China have been instructed to 'make people happy', as a measurement of an official's performance.

They too, are considering implementing a National Happiness Index.

While the healthy GDP in Singapore is a good measurement of economic success, that, however, does not invalidate the theory of gross national happiness being used as a measurement of a country's progress.

Our Graciousness Index plays an important role in our society's development. The propensity for kindness in a nation is very often linked to the happiness level of its population.

However, it acts as a supplement to the GDP and not a replacement. Material success contributes to happiness but the heart and soul of happiness is not material.

Our graciousness index is a work in progress, and year-on-year, we look for more relevant and accurate ways to reflect the state of the nation. Towards that end, the Singapore Kindness Movement is happy to work together with all parties for the betterment of our society.

Dr William Wan

General Secretary

Singapore Kindness Movement