KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — After almost a year in power, Malaysians are showing more trust in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, according to an American public relations and marketing consultancy firm’s report.

The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometre Global Report stated a record of 20 out of 26 countries had an increase of trust in government from 2018. Malaysia’s position rose by 14 points to 60 compared to last year and are in seventh place. 

The global average is 47.

An index of 1 to 49 is classified as “Distrust”, 50 to 59 is “Neutral”, while 60 to 100 is “Trust”.

Singapore (67), India (74), Indonesia (75), UAE (82) and China (86) have a higher trust value in their governments, according to the survey conducted between Oct 19 and November 16 last year which involved over 33,000 respondents in 27 countries.

South Africa (21), Spain (26), Brazil (28). Argentina (31) and France (32) have the lowest trust rating in government. Argentina recorded a -10 drop in trust levels while it’s South American counterpart Brazil recorded a +10.

As for Trust in Media only four countries were in the “Trust” levels and that’s UAE (60), India (64), Indonesia (70) and China (76).

“If trust in these institutions diminishes, we begin to fear that we are no longer in safe, reliable hands,” said the Edelman report.

“Without trust, the fabric of society can unravel to the detriment of all. From an institutional standpoint, trust is a forward-looking metric.

“Unlike reputation, which is based on an organisation’s historical behaviour, trust is a predictor of whether stakeholders will find you credible in the future, will embrace new innovations you introduce and will enthusiastically support or defend you.

“For these reasons, trust is a valuable asset for all institutions, and ongoing trust-building activities should be one of the most important strategic priorities for every organisation.”