CENBET findings show 90% of M'sians in favor of Fed Govt reform

PETALING JAYA: The public have lost trust in the federal government, politicians and the local mainstream media based on the Trustworthiness of Public Institutions Survey 2018, said the Centre For A Better Tomorrow (CENBET) president Gan Ping Sieu.
He said 90% of those surveyed were of the opinion that the federal government needs to be reformed.
He added that there was also a low level of trust in local government, giving credence to the push to bring back local elections.
"The third vote, local elections should be held mainly for mayors and town councils and this would require amendments to the Local Government Act before it can be carried out," Gan said at a press conference when releasing the first part of the survey's findings which was carried out in February.
He said the peaceful handover of government at the federal and state level shows that the people are mature enough and ready for local elections.
Gan said this can also be seen in how the public overwhelmingly supported Pakatan Harapan in the just concluded elections.
He said the survey also found that corruption (80%), crime rate (75%) and cost living (74%) were among the top concerns of the respondents.
Gan said one surprising finding was that the respondents did not give enough importance to the independence of public institutions, only 32% felt it was important.
"This survey can be a guide for the newly elected government as it reflects the views of the people before the election and it also reveals the urgent need to reform government institutions," he said, adding that people's perception of these institutions won't change overnight.
He pointed out the findings of the survey were not tailored for the present government but they could use it as a baseline for their reform agenda.
Gan said CENBET would be presenting the detailed findings of the survey to the newly-established Committee on Institutional Reforms as an input for the government to enhance trust and public delivery in key institutions.