Trust, Society and Governance: An Islamic Perspective on Malaysian Institutions (Keyakinan, Masyarakat dan Tadbir Urus: Perspektif Islam Terhadap Institusi di Malaysia)

Abstract

The significance of trust cannot be overestimated for an individual or a society. Its value may become more discernible when trust is not present and its opposites such as uncertainty, accusation and cynicism take over a person or a group. The major aim of this paper is to investigate the role of the Islamic worldview in building and explaining the trust levels discovered in the survey. This paper first explores the religious dimensions and sociological implications of the concept of trust in Islam. The elements of trust in a host of Malaysian institutions are then analysed based on a survey conducted among Muslim respondents. This survey was conducted across Malaysia with hundreds of Malay/Muslim respondents. It covered social, public and governmental institutions. These include parents, siblings, relatives, spiritual/religious leaders, community leaders, friends, neighbours, teachers, the military, the civil service, the legal and judiciary system, the police, local big companies, mass media, the parliament, the federal government, political leaders, and political parties. The study concluded that some levels of trust towards certain institutions among Malaysian Muslims reflect the Islamic ideals of a Muslim community. However, the Islamic standards demand better outcomes from some institutions that are not highly trusted by the Muslim respondents. Keywords: Trust, Amanah, Islamic society, Trust in Malaysia, Institutional trust. Abstrak Elemen keyakinan dan kepercayaan individu mahupun masyarakat awam tidak boleh dipandang remeh. Jika tiada keyakinan atau terdapat percanggahan, maka wujudnya ketidakpastian, tuduhan dan curiga oleh individu atau kumpulan. Tujuan utama makalah adalah untuk mengkaji pandangan dari perspektif Islam dalam membangun dan menerangkan tahap kepercayaan terhadap institusi yang ditemui dalam tinjauan ini. Makalah ini meninjau konsep yakin dari sudut pandangan Islam dan implikasi sosiologi. Satu tinjauan dilakukan bagi mengkaji tahap keyakinan terhadap beberapa institusi di Malaysia. Tinjauan ini dilakukan di seluruh Malaysia melibatkan ramai responden Melayu yang merangkumi institusi sosial, awam dan kerajaan. Institusi di sini bermaksud ibu bapa, adik beradik, sanak-saudara, pemimpin agama, pemimpin masyarakat, rakan, jiran, guru, tentera, penjawat awam, sistem perundangan dan kehakiman, polis, syarikat-syarikat besar tempatan, media massa, parlimen, kerajaan persekutuan, pemimpin politik, dan parti politik. Kata Kunci: Keyakinan, amanah, masyarakat Islam, keyakinan di Malaysia, keyakinan institusi.