Malaysians trust their government
Malaysians are now showing trust in the government, in contrast to just a year ago, according to a recent international survey.
According to the 19th Annual Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report, the Malaysian government is currently at a "trusted" level, achieving a score of 60 points compared to "distrusted" with just 46 points last year - an increase of 14 points. An index of 1 to 49 is classified as "Distrust", 50 to 59 is "Neutral", while 60 to 100 is "Trust".
The online survey was conducted between Oct 19 and Nov 16 last year and involved over 33,000 respondents in 27 countries. However, Malaysia still lags behind its neighbors Singapore and Indonesia, which scored 67 and 75 respectively. China has the highest score amongst 26 countries surveyed with 86. That said, Malaysia scored better than other countries, including South Africa (21), Brazil (28), Russia (34), Japan (39), the United States (40), Australia (42), and Hong Kong (55).
The global average of trust in the government is 47, an increase of three points compared to last year.
There was a change in the Federal Government following the 14th General Elections in May 2018, when Pakatan Harapan - led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad - took over the reins from Barisan Nasional. Edelman said that trust is a valuable asset for all institutions, and ongoing trust-building activities should be one of the most important strategic priorities for every organization.