19 VARIA RANAH 2023 The Primacy of The Public Service in Restoring Institutional Trust INTRODUCTION The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition won the 14th General Election (GE14), also known as the "mother of all elections," which saw the Barisan Nasional (BN), which had ruled for sixty years, overthrown. On May 10, 2018, the coalition chose Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, 93, to become Malaysia's seventh prime minister, making him the nation's oldest leader. Two years later, political unrest known as Langkah Sheraton led to the resignation of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the appointment of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia. In 2021, another political upheaval led to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's resignation as the eighth Prime Minister on August 16, 2021. Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was designated the ninth Prime Minister after 17 months in office. In Malaysia's 15th general election, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim was elected as the country's 10th prime minister, resulting in a leadership change. In a span of four years, Malaysia had four different prime ministers, and during this period of political turmoil, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe. This situation has diminished public confidence in institutions. (Naher et al., 2020) Citizens view these developments as indicators of political instability, inefficiency, and a lack of accountability. Another negative influence of political instability is on economic growth. Political unpredictability impedes investment, economic planning, and policy implementation. This instability hinders economic growth and exacerbates the perception of institutional inefficiency (UNCTD, 2021), which leads to the deterioration of institutional trust. Perry, J. (2021), emphasised the need for political and institutional reforms to combat the erosion of institutional trust. Also, there is a need for governance that is transparent and accountable, strengthened democratic institutions, and policies that promote consistency and stability. These measures are essential for rebuilding trust and restoring institutions' legitimacy. Shortly after taking office as prime minister, YAB Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim unveiled the Malaysia MADANI concept, which aims to improve the country's economy and advance the fundamental moral and ethical principles that all religions share. MADANI is an acronym for a policy that embraces six core values: keMampanan (sustainability), KesejAhteraan (prosperity), Daya Cipta (innovation), hormAt (respect), keyakiNan (trust), and Ihsan (compassion). It is also a framework to achieve an equitable economy and good governance in which leakages are prevented and public funds are spent judiciously and appropriately. This article focuses on the fifth pillar of the Rukun MADANI, which is trust and its relationship, by analysing the institutional context of the public service in relation to the strategies enumerated in this fifth pillar of the Rukun MADANI. PROBLEM STATEMENT Unit Penyelarasan Lonjakan Prestasi (PACU) has disseminated several indicators to measure the impact of the Malaysia MADANI concept. These indicators include the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Index, the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index, the Malaysian Economy Index, the People's Well-Being Index, the Ease of Doing Business Index, and the Crime Prevention Index. These six indicators directly or indirectly reflect institutional trust in Malaysia.
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