The 'Truth about Trust'
Published:Monday | May 9, 2011 | 12:00 AM
- Duo undertakes initiative to rebuild Jamaica's faith in politics, police
Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer
LOCAL PSYCHOLOGIST Wayne Gallimore, along with self-described international ambassador of trust, Vanessa Hall, will over the next two weeks embark on a campaign to raise the trust level in the island.
The 'Truth about Trust' initiative, which is scheduled to get under way today, will see the duo holding a series of workshops with players from the two major political parties, the police force, and a list of other major private and public institutions.
"I am absolutely optimistic this will work. I have seen the impact at the individual level, and I believe that, over time, if everyone learn to trust each other we can change society positively," Hall, who operates a trust, ENTENTE Foundation, in Sydney, Australia, told The Gleaner yesterday.
The foundation, which has branches in six other countries, seeks to raise awareness on "the fragility and importance of trust".
contributing factors
Hall said in her Truth about Trust initiative, she will be seeking to highlight some of the factors contributing to a breakdown in the trust factor.
Last year, a study conducted by an academic institution based in the United States found that there is an epidemic of mistrust in Jamaica.
The study, directed by the Latin America Public Opinion Project based in Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, found that 80 per cent of the Jamaican population believes politicians and public officials are corrupt.
Hall said, "One of the fundamental errors of most politicians is that they say the right things to win elections. They make (overhead) promises and do not deliver. What they must realise is that they are better off making less promises, and deliver on those promises, and then they will gain the trust of the people. This is what we will be bringing to them."
distrust of cops
Meanwhile, turning to the country's police force, which is high on the list of institutions in the society that the people have lost confidence in, Hall said, "Society, in general, has a high expectation of the members of the police force. All of them are expected to be squeaky clean, but we must remember that they are humans as well."
She said the country must take stringent measures when security personnel, as well as other public officials, fall out of line.
Meanwhile, Gallimore, of Christian Life Fellowship, said particular emphasis was placed on getting the politicians and the Jamaica Constabulary Force to come on board.
"There is a high perception among the public that we cannot trust the police and politicians, so I made great effort to ensure they came on board. A lot of them were eager to come on board, so I am optimistic that this is the beginning of better things to come. It is showing that there is hope and with the tools available, the culture can change," the Gallimore said.