“Trust is a social good to be protected just as much as the air we breathe or the water we drink. When it is damaged, the community as a whole suffers; and when it is destroyed, societies falter and collapse,” according to the philosopher and ethicist, Sissela Bok. Here in Guyana, few would deny the veracity of this statement – even without the PPP explicitly declaring to those who propose “shared governance” that there is the need for “increased trust” with the PNC. If we accept as a working definition that trust is a, ” belief in, and willingness to act on the basis of, the words, actions, and decisions of another” then we posit that not only is trust missing between the PPP and the PNC, but that there exists a palpable, strong almost volcanic distrust.
The difference is important. The benefits of trust in conflictual situations is universally accepted: trust between political opponents enhance cooperation, encourage them to share information and even work together to resolve problems. This suggests heaven to most Guyanese. Distrust, on the other hand is not merely the absence of trust, which may suggest a possible neutral, non-committal attitude, but the presence of the confident expectation that another individual’s motives, intentions, and behaviors are sinister and harmful to one’s own interests.
Distrust, rather than merely the absence of trust, has severe consequences for us. In interdependent relationships, such as the one between the governing PPP and opposition PNC, this often entails a sense of fear and anticipation of discomfort or danger. Distrust naturally prompts us to take steps that reduce our vulnerability in an attempt to protect our interests. Accordingly, the distrust of others is likely to evoke a competitive (as opposed to cooperative) orientation that stimulates and exacerbates conflict. Hence the state of undeclared war that typifies the relationship between our two major parties and reduces their mildest engagement to the hurling of vitriol-laced barbs. We witness this in the PNC and WPA’s reaction to the PPP’s outreaches in African-Guyanese communities.
The origin of their distrust harks back to the later 1950s, when the PNC split the nationalist movement and the record since has not improved appreciably. This even though for years the PPP of Dr Jagan offered “critical support” to the PNC that routinely rigged elections. So what is to be done? We have to begin reducing the distrust before we can ever begin to build trust. We concede right up front that this is not an easy task. Once in place, distrust forms a powerful frame on subsequent events in the relationship, such that even good-faith efforts by the offender to restore the relationship are met with scepticism and suspicion. The result is a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” where every move the other party makes is interpreted as additional evidence that justifies an initial decision to distrust it.
One key insight in this area of trust and distrust is the distinction between functional and dysfunctional distrust. Although distrust has generally been regarded as patently harmful, it should be acknowledged that there are potentially valuable benefits of some distrust. All of us have had experiences where we misjudged another as credible and trustworthy, only to be exploited. However, distrust can lead to adverse effects as well. As noted earlier, distrust is associated with a lack of cooperation, lower satisfaction and commitment, and possibly even retribution and actively hostile behaviour.
Distrust leads the parties to reduce their willingness to share information and engage in problem solving in conflict situations, an approach that usually bypasses integrative, value-creating opportunities. Distrust can also cause conflicts to escalate to the point of intractability, as positions harden and the parties become increasingly reluctant to yield concessions. The negative emotions that emerge with distrust cause the trustor to vilify and demonize the other party – such as the WPA’s “apartheid state” and “slave catcher” claims.
In this “election year”, let us give the “other side”, the benefit of the doubt to allow the growth of trust and a more harmonious Guyana.
