Chronic trust deficit

Friday 19th November, 2021

Long lines of vehicles and people with cans are still seen near filling stations in many parts of the country despite repeated government assurances that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has adequate fuel stocks, and there is absolutely no need to panic.

Why does the panic-buying of fuel continue? It is basically due to a severe trust deficit. The people do not believe government assurances, announcements and claims, and draw their own conclusions from what they consider facts culled from various sources, and, as cynics say, they do not believe anything until it is officially denied. So, it is only natural that Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila has a hard time trying to convince the public that there are enough fuel stocks in the country, and they should not fall for false rumours, hook, line, and sinker.

False claims which trigger panic buying lead to a huge increase in the demand for fuel. When this happens, fuel pumps invariably run dry, creating temporary petroleum shortages, which last until the people wise up to the fact they have been storing up oil in vain. This, we have seen several times during the past few months, but nobody seems to learn from his or her experience. The people, however, cannot be blamed because they do not know whom to believe—the government or the doomsayers in the garb of trade union bosses, and Opposition politicians.

Successive governments have generously contributed to the existing trust deficit, which has stood in the way of effective communication between the public and the political authority. One sees a hidden danger in the present situation; there is room for anarchical elements to advance their sinister agendas. All it takes to plunge the country into utter chaos is a single troublemaker with a smartphone. Prophets of doom are dominating the social media platforms, and have a considerable following.

The current panic-buying spree, which has caused a temporary fuel shortage in some areas, would not have come about if the government had acted wisely when it decided to shut down the Sapugaskanda oil refinery, which had never been closed for want of crude oil since inception, we are told. The government should have been extra careful without storing up trouble for it as well as the country.

The public should have been informed of the government decision to shut down the refinery a few weeks before the closure, and measures to be adopted to meet the resultant shortfall in the fuel supply. The government would have the public believe that the closure of the refinery is part of its strategy to manage the country’s foreign reserves frugally vis-à-vis the current forex crunch. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but it behoves the government to reveal how it is planning to overcome the foreign exchange crisis and pay for essential imports including fuel. Sadly, even Budget 2022 has left the people none the wiser on this score.

There are millions of gullible Sri Lankans who not only believe anything circulated via social media but also act thereon. Never do they pause to check the veracity of what they are told. Impervious to reason, they even ignore expert advice. How they ran all the way to Kegalle from different parts of the country to buy Dhammika peniya, which was described as a cure for Covid-19, is a case in point.

In a country, where the people have been duped into storing up salt, of all things, anything is possible. At this rate, even a run on banks can be triggered via social media. There’s the rub. The solution is for the rulers to be truthful, act in a transparent manner and regain their credibility, which is at an extremely low ebb at present. This is the least they can do to restore public trust, which is a prerequisite for effective governance.