The trust deficit bordering Masisi’s presidency

Recently, President Mokgweetsi Masisi launched an electric vehicle assembly plant that sparked a wildfire of insults and slander against the government from many online revellers mainly because of a prevailing trust deficit over manifesto promise. This was not the first time the citizens bashed the presidency over facts and truth, with a persisting thread of doubt over anything that comes from the highest office in the land.

Trust is a political value that serves as the bedrock of legitimacy. Voting a party into power requires the citizens to hold a certain degree of trust, which morphs into legitimacy. Masisi, who is the head of government and image of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), must have the absolute trust of the people to stand a chance to get a ticket for a second term, without which his manifesto promises run the risk of being interpreted as electioneering gimmicks.