Public Trust Deficit and Failed Governance: The Response to COVID-19 in Makassar, Indonesia

In Mar 2020, a few days after the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, a series of events posed immense challenges to the local government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. It was clear that a crisis of public trust regarding the government's COVID-19 response was developing in Makassar. The local governments' unpreparedness in facing the outbreak, coupled with poor governance, resulted in public distrust of the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis.