The bankruptcy of trust

 

Days after the intervention of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his fellow monarchs in determining that a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic is not in the cards, here is the situation in terms of health.

We continue to have a surge in new Covid-19 cases despite only weeks ago we were looking at the possibility of having zero new cases daily. Meanwhile, Sabah is in dire straits with its already fragile health system threatening to be overwhelmed. The health director-general has already voiced concern that we are looking at an overstretched, distraught, fatigued group of healthcare professionals.

Yet, the pervasive narrative is no longer about us working together to flatten the curve as it was during the early days of the pandemic. Now, on one side, we hear the exhortations and pleas of officials calling for the people “to come together once more” while on the other side, social media is filled with grouses about how SOPs are being enforced poorly or illogically, or even worse, criticisms towards those “in power” who seem to be flouting the public health protocols.

What has changed? Why this animosity which now borders on hostility? I fear that the government and by proxy the health ministry is losing the most important asset we have in the war against Covid-19; the trust and confidence in authority. It is this “faith” in public institutions that really underpins the support of the nation into following the SOPs set out to help us contain the spread of the virus.

It is not the soldiers manning guns at roadblocks or the enforcement officers fining you for not wearing a mask. And now, there seems to be a bankruptcy of this trust which could lead to the system failing altogether and to the disastrous consequences that will surely follow.

The loss of trust in government and institutions is not new in the world of public health. We have seen such situations before; namely during the breakout of Ebola in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Liberia. Citizens in these countries already had an absolute lack of trust in their government and its institutions due to issues of societal insecurity, communal violence and government instability.

This resulted in citizens not following the health advice given because they didn’t trust the officials. The lack of trust got so bad that violence was perpetrated on multiple occasions against health workers, hospitals and Ebola treatment centres.

Now, let us learn from these episodes and apply them here in Malaysia. Between the first and third wave, there seems to be a visible drop in the trust towards our leaders, specifically their political leadership. This is not due to political reasons as some may think such as the fragile shifting coalitions and political alliances.

Instead, it is largely due to the perception that “those in power” are being treated differently compared to the common man on the ground. This is not a mere theoretical supposition on my part. Just look through social media or walk into any mamak.

Allegations such as meetings with “supposedly” quarantined political leaders, the lack of masks or social distancing during high-level meetings and inaction over non-compliance by political leaders are driving the narratives. The frustration and anger continues to build and I am truly concerned over how it will blow up.

This lack of trust will cause more and more people to start ignoring public health control measures and trust me, there is no possible universe in which we can have enough enforcement to ever police the entire population.

Just last night as I was getting takeaway I heard one irate customer shouting to a staff member: “You all torture us to wear masks, but who is torturing all the VIPs to make sure they wear masks?”

That individual is not alone. Even worse, the worry is that his complaint is both heartfelt and true. Deteriorating trust will lead to deterioration in compliance and guess who finally pays the price?

The frontliners, who again will not only have to deal with the fallout of screening and treating ever increasing cases but now will also have to deal with a non-cooperative, disgruntled populace.

Three questions to ponder: Does anyone even see this erosion of trust as an issue of concern? Will we only consider finding a remedy for this issue once it blows up in our faces? Do we have the capacity and political will to act? - FMT

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.