WHO DO YOU TRUST?

Trust. It’s an intangible yet very real part of our daily life. We trust our family and friends – people we know and are closest to. But when it comes to public figures – individuals we may never meet in our lives – trust goes beyond our own personal relationships. Placing our trust in a public figure may mean we rely on the person’s integrity, strength or ability. We may place our confidence in the individual’s commitment to his work. We may even view this person as a role model. Trust can be seen as a highly valued commodity and something that everyone has a vested interest in.

For the first time ever in Asia, Reader’s Digest has conducted nationwide surveys across six countries, asking people to rate influential personalities on their trustworthiness. The list was presented in random order and ratings were given as a score out of ten where one equated to “Don’t trust at all” and ten being “Trust completely”. We then calculated an average score for each person and ranked them in order of perceived trustworthiness. Here are the results:

The Philippines

In the current climate of economic, environmental and political uncertainty, now more than ever, people are looking for security and assurance in their lives. Part of this includes deciding which public figures they can rely on and trust. Filipinos are no different. The decision is even more significant in the Philippines as this is a country that’s had major grievances with those it has entrusted.

The Top Five is an eclectic mix of colourful characters. Coming in at number five is the highest-ranking politician, Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Politicians are stereotypically untrustworthy but Aquino was born into what’s probably the most respected family in the country. “He is trustworthy for simply being the son of two great political leaders of this country, Ninoy and Cory,” comments Alvaro Nagpala Calara, an assistant professor of behavioural sciences at De La Salle University in Manila. With the passing of his mother last year, there is a sentimentality attached to Aquino and he is the clear frontrunner for the upcoming presidential elections. “He remains ‘clean’ amidst the dirty nature of politics which is actually a feat for politicians like him,” says Calara.

Fourth on the list is philanthropist Tony Meloto. He is founder of Gawad Kalinga, a charitable foundation established to end poverty and to care for the less fortunate. “His generosity has earned him the emulation of the Filipino people,” says Calara. “The unselfish giving of himself, his time and his resources in providing a decent house for a poor family is not an easy task.”

Philippine social commentator and artist Carlos Celdran also points out the charity’s association with the church. “Anything validated by the Catholic Church is trustworthy to most older Filipinos.”

Award-winning journalist and vice president of GMA News, Jessica Soho, comes in at number three. For almost two decades Soho has been the familiar face in front of the camera whenever a big story breaks. She has reported on such issues as the Mount Pinatubo eruption, the black-market sale of kidneys and Cory Aquino’s death and burial. “She is so dedicated to her work and presents and tackles issues in a non-partisan way,” comments Calara.

The most glamorous trusted Filipino has to be performer Lea Salonga, who took the number two spot. The beautiful singer and actress has had a successful international career on the stage, most notably in her award winning role in Miss Saigon. Why is she so trusted? “By giving pride to Filipinos by excelling in her craft, she earned our trust and emulation,” explains Calara. “She was validated by the world by winning the Tony and Olivier awards, and approval of the world matters to a lot of Filipinos,” adds Celdran.

So who is the person that Filipinos trust the most? The number one spot goes to actress and philanthropist, Rosa Rosal. Dubbed the “original femme fatale of Philippine cinema”, Rosal’s impressive acting career is complemented by her lifelong commitment to humanitarian activities. She joined the Philippine National Red Cross as a volunteer in 1950 and is this year celebrating her 60th anniversary working with them. Using her high profile, Rosal has promoted voluntary blood donation and set up blood banks across the country. Her many other achievements include establishing a Women’s Crisis Centre aimed at assisting needy mothers and finding homes for abandoned children.

Malaysia

From drawing cartoons to making shoes to making people laugh, what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Patience, persistence, perhaps even long-drawn suffering and sacrifices, according to Associate Professor Dominic Lau, lecturer and Head of Applied Research at UCSI Universityin Malaysia.

The people at the top of the Malaysian poll have some battle scars to prove their mettle: Jimmy Choo’s business tussles, Nicol David’s sheer hard work to become the world squash champion, Michelle Yeoh’s rise up the movie world from Hong Kong to Hollywood. The longer you are in a profession, the better you get. “No matter what you do, people will trust you more if you can deliver,” says Professor Lau. “They don’t define trust as ‘time-tested’ for nothing.”

You don’t need to be a fashionista to know Jimmy Choo, the talented shoemaker. Starting with a small stall at London’s South Bank, the number five ranked Choo gained international fame with his line of exquisite stilettos but sold his brand in 2001 when he got tired of the business world. Choo now resides in London and is undergoing negotiations to start a shoemaking institute for Malaysian fashion designers and shoemakers.

At number four is cartoonist Dato’ Mohd Nor Khalid, better known as Lat. His cartoons aren’t just drawings; they tell stories about Malaysia, the rites of life and the changing landscape of the country for the past four decades. His world-renowned series, Kampung Boy, is still a bestseller today. It was first published in 1979 and has been translated into several languages, including Japanese and French.

Coming in at number three is Datuk Lee Chong Wei. The winner of the 2005 and 2008 National Sportsman Award is reputed for his incredible stamina in the court and is known to beat opponents simply by exhausting them. Lee had consistently garnered badminton medals throughout his career and was the first Malaysian to win an Olympic medal in 2008 after a long medal drought. In 2009, Lee was named winner of the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia Awards and was appointed the National Ambassador for UNICEF Malaysia.

Inspired by the Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), number two ranked Dr Jemilah Mahmood initiated the Malaysian Medical Relief Society (MERCY Malaysia), a non-governmental organisation involved in humanitarian work, in 1999. An obstetrician and gynaecologist by training, she strongly believes that women can be agents of change, especially by being role models for the young.

And coming in at the top is Malaysia’s greatest pride, Datuk Nicol Ann David. David continues to inspire all segments of society with her string of victories around the world. The reigning world squash champion since 2006, David started competing at the tender age of eight and was already representing the country at 11. Disciplined and dedicated to her sport yet a straight A student at school, David gains top marks for having a balanced personal and professional life despite achieving global fame.

Singapore

Individuals who hold positions of authority are a common thread in the top echelon of the Singapore survey. With the exception of second place 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,” says Terence Chong, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, adds, “People associated with maintaining the rule of law and the national integrity system, which is reputed to be robust, [are] highly regarded.”

But more than just their positions, our trust comes from “a combination of the position they hold and what they have accomplished in their careers and personal lives,” says Don Ferrin, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources, Singapore Management University, with research interests in interpersonal trust in the workplace.

While Professor Lee Wei Ling holds the position of director and senior consultant of Singapore’s National Neuroscience Institute, she is also widely known as the daughter of Singapore’s Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew. Despite her background, Lee has reached out to the public with her honesty, openness and objective opinions through her weekly column in the country’s leading newspaper, The Sunday Times . As one survey respondent remarked, Lee comes across as “very humble even though she comes from a high profile family.”

In fourth place, Khoo Boon Hui, the former commissioner of the Singapore Police Force and current president of Interpol, has been credited for maintaining low crime rates.

Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-large at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is number three. He is acknowledged as one of Singapore’s top diplomats and negotiators. His career is marked by many notable achievements, most recently receiving The Order of the Nila Utama (First Class) by the government for his role in handling the Pedra Branca dispute with Malaysia.

Despite not holding any office within the local government, Dr William Tan, a wheelchair athlete and fund-raiser, has made it to number two. Paralysed from the waist down, Dr Tan has also inspired many by competing in gruelling cross-continent marathons to raise funds for charity organisations.

Chan Sek Keong, the current Chief Justice of Singapore, and Asia’s first jurist to be conferred the International Jurists Award by the International Council of Jurists (ICJ), emerged as the most trusted Singaporean. His ranking isn’t surprising considering judges ranked as the third most trusted profession. “In Singapore, there has been a consistent trend to rank high court judges at the top of the socio-economic ladder,” says Gillian Koh.

See the list of Most Trusted people in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.