Page 30 - PR Communication Age - JULY 2016

HAPPINESS
T he United Arab Emirates
has just announced the cre­
ation of a minister of state
for happiness. A new post of
minister of state for tolerance has also
been established.
Happiness for whom? Of a total popu­
lation of around 10 million, only 1.5
million are Emirati citizens and the rest Since the announcement was made, the
expatriates. In India, you hear a lot of
stories about the quality of life in
Dubai, the largest city in the UAE. But
for the average Indian worker, the UAE
is the pits. He is the current equivalent project", coming as it does amid ongo­
of the galley slave.
"Thousands of undocumented workers
from India, Pakistan, Nepal and
Bangladesh are stranded in the Emir­
ates each year and are unable to re­
turn home because they can't afford
flights, have had their passports taken
away by corrupt recruitment agents or
because they are too terrified of labour
cartels to try to leave," says the BBC.
Even the "superior" types ­ Indian en­
trepreneurs who are not allowed to set
up shop without a local partner or
"bosses" in service sector organisations
­ are third­class citizens. The gods are
the Emiratis. The angels are the imports
from the West. And the Great Un­
washed is the money­grubbers from the
IITs and the IIMs. The workers come last
in the pecking order; they have no citi­
zenship rights at all. Yes, the UAE cer­
30 PR COMMUNICATION AGE July 2016
QUOTIENT
tainly needs a ministry of happiness. But
people see in it a reflection of Orwell's
Ministry of Love ("Miniluv ­ which over­
sees torture and brainwashing").
The UAE ministry of happiness was set
up earlier this year. It is probably part of pirates ­ at No. 76? One sometimes
Dubai's ambition to become the "world's
happiest city" by the end of the decade.
World Happiness Index has demoted it
from No. 20 to No. 28. A report in The
Guardian says, "Some observers have
raised eyebrows at the UAE's "happiness
ing human rights concerns.
According to Human Rights Watch
(HRW), "The United Arab Emirates of­
ten uses its affluence to mask the
government's serious human rights
problems. The government arbitrarily
detains, and in some cases forcibly dis­
appears (sic) individuals who criticised
the authorities, and its security forces
face allegations of torturing detain­
ees." HRW highlights a new anti­dis­
crimination law which "further
jeopardises free speech", and raises
concerns about migrant construction
workers "facing serious exploitation"
and female domestic workers who are
"excluded from regulations that apply
to workers in other sectors".
According to the world happiness re­
port, the happiness league is led by
Denmark. It is followed by Switzer­
land, Iceland, Norway, and Finland.
The US is No. 13. India is ranked at No.
118. India is below Somalia (76), China
(83), Pakistan (92), Iran (105), and
Bangladesh (110). Somalia ­ enmeshed
in a civil war and the last refuge of the
feels the Western thinktanks wouldn't
recognise happiness unless it came to
them wrapped in $100 bills.
The study by the South Korean tech­
nology company LG rates the 4 Ps:
Pursuit (of aspirations and ambitions),
Purpose (that reflects progress in life),
Pleasure (that gives a temporary high)
and Passion (for aspects that one is
deeply engaged in) and 1 C: Context
(which refers to the surrounding socio­
economic environment). Chandigarh
topped the list.
Meanwhile, a survey by office furniture
maker Steelcase has found that Indians
are the global leaders in office happi­
ness, with workers reporting high lev­
els of satisfaction with their workplace
and engagement with their compa­
nies. They are followed by Mexico, the
UAE, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia.
France comes last. It is a weird mix.
If you are happy and you know it, clap
your hands. It won't be heard. But you,
for one, will know it despite what the
political classes ­ the profiteers from
human misery ­ preach. (Source: The
Telegraph)