I was reading a recent article about the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf who reportedly (reported by Associated Press) was making promises in DAVOS, Switzerland that national elections scheduled for next month would be "free, fair and transparent," dismissing fraud concerns and brushing off criticism over his dismissal of the Supreme Court chief justice.
The interesting thing about promises is that, the greater the need, the more likely we are to believe the promises made by others - especially if the promises connect with our greatest needs.
In this case, to not keep these promises could plunge Pakistan into the same violence we are seeing in Kenya - IF the pakistani people feel the need to ensure that there truly is fairness and transparency in the elections.
None of us like to be lied to - honesty is a need that exists in most, if not all of us, to varying degrees. But if the consequences of some kind of trickery or fraud in any election or selection process (political or business related), are that an ineffective leader wins the seat, or worse, a leader that drives economic and social decline, then we have a serious problem.
What I've observed, though, is that often it is not the consequences themselves that cause the distress and tension (and in Kenya's case, rioting and violence). It is the fact that the promises were broken.
Keeping promises is the quickest and easiest way to build trust, and NOT keeping them is the quickest way to break trust. And when trust is broken, watch out - things can get pretty nasty.
This blog has moved to truthabouttrust.blogspot.com.au and covers a huge range of aspects of trust - from trust in organisations, trust in families and trust in communities. Come and join me there :)
