When I Was Young

From TODAY, News

Friday November 21, 2008

A history of defeat resulting in the birth of a small nation-state was ironically what helped the people of Denmark become such happy people, said Mr Joergen Oerstroem Moeller.

Describing the Danes as a “tribe”, Mr Moeller – formerly the Danish ambassador to Singapore and now a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies – said that being a small, uni-culture society pushed together by defeat created a strong sense of trust between people.

And it is this trust that fosters the sense of security which encourages risk-taking and innovation in the Danes.

“It encourages people to be creative and to dare to try something bold,” he said, adding that this has helped the country stay competitive.

The sense of trust is reinforced by a government rated top in the world for being corruption-free, as well as a strong social welfare system that the Danes “are very happy to pay high taxes for”, said Mr Moeller.

Political parties have tried and failed to campaign on platforms of reducing taxes and raising income.

“They try to say, you can have strong social welfare with lower taxes, but the Danes are too smart for that.

“They know that if you want something, you have to pay for it.”

The downside is that such a society means immigrants have to adapt or be excluded.

“This will have some impact on the inflow of talent,” said Mr Moeller.

 “But I think there is a gradual opening up, even if it’s going to be acrimonious at times.”