One of the key political concerns in the global debate today is the continuous erosion of citizens’ trust in governments across the world. The lack of trust in government is proliferating because of multiple factors, even in developed countries such as the USA and Canada. Growing disconnect between political elites and the public, rising and unmet expectations, governments becoming too remote from citizens, the conduct of leaders, and the touchstone of people’s evaluation of competence, i.e., economic performance, are identified as the more plausible factors.
For a democratic system to work effectively and efficiently, public confidence is deemed to be extremely crucial and essential for its sustainability and legitimacy. Good governance and public trust are usually characterized as directly interrelated. States with greater citizen trust can function more efficiently, effectively, and smoothly than those with low trust (Chen & Shi, 2001). Pakistan, a country with huge legacies of historical controversies, political dynamics, and steady socio-economic challenges, has been confronting severe challenges in acquiring public trust and confidence. In the early years following its independence, Pakistan observed frequent ups and downs in the democratic process, with recurring military interventions. The initial political instability and the power play game demolished the citizens’ trust in the civilian political leadership, alongside the authoritative military regimes.
Pakistan has remained under direct military rule for a significant part of its history and has experienced extreme levels of dictatorships, repressions, and human rights abuses, which have undermined public trust. The diverse linguistic and ethnic landscape of Pakistan has contributed to regional disparities in political representation and economic development. Marginalized regions such as GB, KPK, and Baluchistan have often felt neglected by the central government, which leads to feelings of alienation and mistrust among local populations.
The government’s collaboration with the USA, including military operations in the tribal regions, provoked controversy and fueled anti-government sentiments among various sections of the population. The continuous negativity in the graph of voter turnout in the general elections in Pakistan shows the decline in the level of people’s trust in the democratic procedures of the country. The voter turnout from 52% approximately in the 2013 general elections was reduced to 50% approximately in the 2018 polls and even depreciated to 48% approximately in the recent 2024 polls. Furthermore, the lack of good governance fuels the diminishing public confidence in the democratic process. Corruption, a lack of transparency and accountability, and the absence of the rule of law are the key factors that undermine public trust in governmental institutions.
Moreover, the lack of interest of political elites in the daily issues of common citizens is vital to be noticed. In a democratic country like Pakistan, if thousands of peaceful protesters are not heard for months, how can we assume good governance and political stability will ever exist in such a country? Hundreds and thousands of protesters have been trying their voices to be heard for more than a week in various parts of KPK and Baluchistan against the recent polls. But no one is responding to them, besides violating their rights. This is a powerful slap on the dark face of the worst democracy in Pakistan.
Bouckaert (22012) described three levels of public trust in government. “At the macro-level, trust relates to political institutions and the functioning of democracy. At the meso-level, trust relates to policymaking—the ability of governments to manage economic and social issues and generate positive expectations for future well-being. Finally, at the micro level, trust refers to the impact of government on people’s daily lives through service delivery. Although distinct, these three levels interact, and a significant lag in trust at one level may affect trust at other levels and influence policy outcomes.” Unluckily, Pakistan seems to fail more or less in all of the above three levels. The political institutions have remained useless in ensuring the democratic process and have failed to perform their responsibilities. At the meso-level, the short-term approach usually adopted by political leaders often overrides working in the public’s favor in the long term. The service delivery in the country has been deliberately confined to only a few major cities, which serve as the vote banks of political elites.
Taking everything into account, it can be claimed that public trust cannot be achieved without promoting good governance and rule of law, and especially for a country like Pakistan, it is very essential to ensure political stability to come out of the turmoil the country has been confronting for decades.
The writer is a student of “Government and Public Policy” at “National Defence University Islamabad” and a member of PYDIR.