Dear Participants,
Welcome to BSI Conference 2018, as we discuss public trust in Singapore. It is clear that public trust plays a critical role in developing a vibrant economy and a strong society. A reasonably high level of public trust will enable the public, the Government, and the various organisations and groups in the different sectors in Singapore to work together to build a cohesive and adaptive community. This means a community characterised by constructive relationships embedded in positive economic, human, social, political and psychological capital.
Public trust is important because it affects how people think, feel and behave. Trust takes time to build, is easy to lose, and once lost is difficult to restore.
Trust is multi-dimensional, having to do with distinct aspects relating to competence, integrity and benevolence. Trust is also dynamic – it changes over time and the direction of change is not pre-determined.
Given how critical and complex the concept of trust is, we need to have a valid and honest understanding of trust, if we want to shed light on how and why public trust changes, and how we can repair public trust violation and develop public trust in Singapore.
When putting together this conference, I was guided by several questions that have become more salient in recent years as Singapore society underwent significant changes that likely impact on the nature and level of public trust.
What issues of public trust does Singapore need to pay more attention to?
What is the relationship between trust and technology, media and public communications?
What is public accountability, and what lessons can we learn from mistakes that have eroded public trust?
What are the trust issues involved when personal information from the public is given, accessed or used?
Can organisations make better decisions by taking into account public sentiments inferred from analyses of information on social media?
I hope that by exploring these and other issues about public trust in Singapore, this conference will provide new perspectives and possibilities as we aspire to build a strong society and a better Singapore.
