Without trust in politics, society falls apart

The maxim "When there is no trust, the common people will have nothing to stand on" is attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius.

The meaning is clear: If the public loses trust in politics, society will not hold together. Many politicians embrace the saying as their motto. Takeo Miki, a former prime minister who died in 1988, liked to write it on a piece of high-quality paperboard to present to his supporters. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also often quoted it.

Confucius is said to have stressed that in governing a country, "trust" is more important than food or military equipment. A recent Asahi Shimbun public opinion poll shows that politics is losing public faith, without which it cannot stand. Only 18 percent of respondents said they "trust" politicians.

Of them, 17 percent said they only trust them "to an extent," meaning only 1 percent have complete faith in politicians. Even Confucius, who lived in turbulent times, would probably roll over in his grave if he knew of the deplorable state of Japanese politics today.

Moreover, the faith the people have in bureaucrats also dropped to a level comparable with that shown toward politicians. Politics and the bureaucracy, the two pillars that support "the public," are both showing signs of decay.

Everything politicians and bureaucrats have been doing has been a let- down to the public. Perhaps the greatest disappointment is the pension mess. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who boastfully declared that he would see to it that everyone who paid into the pension plan would be accounted for "to the last person," has long since quit. We hear no words of penance or apology, not even through the grapevine. If we didn't place trust in politicians, we would not be betrayed. If politics spreads such sad worldly wisdom, its responsibility is grave.

If we compare words to bullets, trust is gunpowder, author Roka Tokutomi (1868-1927) wrote. Without gunpowder, bullets would not fly. In other words, they would not reach targets. Is Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda cutting down on gunpowder day by day? Regarding serious political issues, he speaks as if discussing someone else's business and he is increasingly losing trust.

In the past, weather reports used to be synonymous with things that are unreliable. But in the same survey, 94 percent said they trust them. Sunny weather after rain. Deep down, I am sure the public really wants the rain clouds looming over politics to clear.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 25(IHT/Asahi: March 26,2008)