During a speech at the recent Znanie (Knowledge) education expo in Moscow, Valentina Matviyenko said she came up with the idea in 2019 while on a trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to The Insider, a Russian independent publication online, Valentina Matviyenko said, “Immediately, a law on overall happiness!”

“You know, I dream of creating and have even proposed that we create a Ministry of Happiness in Russia. A ministry that will review all decisions and laws to see whether this new law or new government decree will make people happier. So far, I have a small group supporting this. You are welcome to join. I think the time will come when we will create a Ministry of Happiness in Russia,” HT quoted The Insider which reported her saying.

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Earlier in 2018, the the UAE became one of four countries to have a ‘minister of happiness’. The work included developing and implementing policies and programs that promote a well-rounded lifestyle in the country. The UAE’s move was preceded by Venezuela which instituted its ministry in 2013.

Icon of corruption:

According to the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, Valentina Matviyenko has been referred to as an ‘icon of corruption’.

Since 2011, the senator from St. Petersburg has chaired the Russian Federation Council and is reportedly worth over 1 billion rubles. Her son amassed a fortune by age 36 that eclipsed $1 billion in 2009.

Matviyenko’s comments should be viewed in the context of the country’s current political situation, Newsweek quoted Mikhail Troitskiy, professor of practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as saying.

“Russia is known for public figures who may struggle to properly express their sentiments, or those of the citizenry because they avoid taboo subject matter. Open calls for the escalation of Russia’s war effort against Ukraine are not encouraged, and there have been cases of the Kremlin disavowing aggressive rhetoric when it came from high-ranking and visible officials. However, calling for an end to the ‘special military operation’ is prone to even higher risk, so figures such as Matviyenko are forced to look for flashy, if nonsensical, topics that would go around the issue of Russia’s aimless and destructive war of choice,” Troitskiy told the outlet.

With agency inputs.

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Updated: 07 Nov 2023, 05:31 PM IST