THESE ARE 'SINGAPORE'S MOST TRUSTED'
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SINGAPORE - They may be rich and they are certainly famous, but do
you trust them?
Fame and trust do not go hand in hand, it seems, according to
the results of a poll conducted by Asian Reader's Digest.
Almost everyone would know who Taufik Batisah and Hady Mirza
are, but the two Singapore Idol winners bring up the rear in the
list of 55 of Singapore's most trusted people.
Taufik was placed 54th, and Hady tied with actress Fann Wong for
52nd place in the magazine's first ever Trust Poll. They shared
bottom rankings with radio presenter Glenn Ong, who was No 55.
In contrast, actor and host Gurmit Singh was placed 10th.
"I would have thought entertainers like me, especially
comedians, would be the least trusted since we are always clowning
around," Gurmit told the magazine.
But he was clearly the exception to the rule, tying with
entrepreneur Olivia Lum, chief executive officer of Hyflux, in the
top 10 placings.
The top spots were dominated by individuals who hold positions
of authority, with Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong as Singapore's most
trusted person.
But his ranking is not surprising, said the magazine,
considering that judges ranked as the third most trusted profession
in the poll.
According to Dr Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the
Institute of Policy Studies: "In Singapore, there has been a
consistent trend to rank high court judges at the top of the
socio-economic ladder,"
The poll was taken last October from a cross section of 760
Singaporeans, who were asked to rank the shortlisted individuals
and professions they had the most faith in. Politicans were omitted
as "the general elections have proven the country's leaders already
rank highly ..." said the magazine.
The full results are published in the March issue of Asian
Reader's Digest.
With the exception of second place wheelchair athlete and
charity fundraiser Dr William Tan, the rest of the top five
individuals are closely associated to the high office they hold
within local government bodies.
"The results could be interpreted as a reflection of the
public's trust in the state," said Dr Terence Chong, a fellow at
the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Or as the Asian Reader's Digest said: "To put it simply, we
trust them because of the roles they play."
A male respondent in his 40s said of Prof Chan Heng Chee, who is
Singapore's ambassador to the United States and who was placed
sixth: "She speaks with authority and has represented the country
very professionally."
The results also show that how well-known an individual is to
the general public does not matter when it comes to trust.
The respondents were allowed to select a "don't know" response
when given the individuals to rate. More than 25 per cent did not
know who the top five performers were, with CJ Chan scoring 28 per
cent in "don't know " responses, Dr Tan with 26 per cent and
ambassador-at-large Professor Tommy Koh with 28 per cent.
In contrast, four out of five individuals at the bottom of the
list scored below 15 per cent in the same category, indicating that
more people know who they are.
Besides Gurmit, writer Catherine Lim and Deirdre Moss, executive
director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SPCA), "softened" the tough nature of the top 10, showing that
trust was also given to those who come across as "honest, genuine
and passionate about their work", said Asian Reader's Digest.
Of Ms Lim, who was once criticised by then Prime Minister Goh
Chok Tong for her political comments, a female respondent in her
30s said: "Her opinion is very direct and honest, and she is not
easily intimidated."
The gathering of individuals in "non traditional" professions in
the lower ranks also reflect "Singaporeans' rather traditional view
of how one gains respect and trust", as Associate Professor Don
Ferrin, Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources, Singapore
Management University, put it.
Plastic surgeon Dr Woffles Wu and Dr Georgia Lee, a general
practitioner with special interest in aesthetics, were placed 47th
and 50th respectively, with comedian Mark Lee at No 48, Singapore
Idol judge and entertainer/composer Dick Lee at 42, actor and host
Allan Wu at 43, former footballers V Sundramoorthy (tying with Dr
Lee) at 50, and David Lee at 39.
Gurmit may have bucked the trend because he "has a very local
and lovable image" who has "shown himself to be genuine", said
Associate Professor Tan Hwee Hoon of the Lee Kong Chian School of
Business at SMU. On the other hand, Idols Taufik and Hady "have not
achieved very much since the time they won".
Assoc Prof Ferrin said this trend is different from what one
would find in the West, "where government and business leaders tend
to be viewed with greater scepticism, while entertainment figures
can be very respected and influential".
SINGAPORE'S MOST TRUSTED INDIVIDUALS
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1. Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong
2. Dr William Tan
3. Professor Tommy Koh
4. Khoo Boon Hui
5. Professor Lee Wei Ling
6. Professor Chan Heng Chee
7. Sim Wong Hoo
8. Deirdre Moss
9. Catherine Lim
10. Gurmit Singh (tie)
10. Olivia Lum (tie)