Scott would know better than most that perception can become reality -- and reversing perceptions which have become "fact'' is well nigh impossible.

That is what makes his defence of the purchase of over-sized cars for Cabinet Ministers surprising.

Mr. Scott may be right when he says that the law allows for Cabinet Ministers to have cars which are larger than those allowed for ordinary members of the public. Certainly, it has long been accepted that the Premier is entitled to a larger car, although Mr. Scott has been in politics long enough to recall the storm engendered when then Premier Sir John Swan brought in an over-sized BMW to replace the humble Morris Marina which had until then been the Premier's official car.

Mr. Scott is also correct when he says that the car costs less than any bought in a showroom here because Government does not have to pay duty. He failed to acknowledge that a car which would fit the normal size regulations would have cost Government less than a private citizen for the same reason.

And Mr. Scott may also be right when he says that car will recoup more if it is sold overseas when it has outrun its usefulness to Cabinet Ministers in five or ten years. Again the same could be applied to any car, and it is not clear that a car which has been in regular use for five or ten years in Bermuda will get much at all if it is sold overseas, particularly when the costs of transporting it abroad again are factored in.

The bottom line on this question is public perception. Bermudians are acutely aware of when a person, or persons, begin to get "uppity''. And bigger cars, publicly paid overseas travel, special credit cards for Government Ministers, requests to be automatically upgraded to first class and demands for jobs for backbenchers all send the same message: "We are Cabinet Ministers/MPs.

Therefore we automatically deserve to be treated better than the average person on the street.'' The United Bermuda Party was rightly accused of arrogance when it was in Government and the Progressive Labour Party has accused, rightly or wrongly, UBP members of running the government for their own benefit .

The public, to some extent, accepted those claims and that was one of the reasons why the Government changed in the last General Election. But the public surely did not expect the same behaviour from the new Government, and the excuse "they did it, so we can too'' simply will not wash''.

There is a growing perception that some Government members are spending more time feeding at the trough of public funds than they are running the Government or representing their constituents. This may be unfair, and bigger cars and overseas travel may make no difference to the overall running of the Government. But no Government cannot afford to let this perception "become reality''. Mr. Scott's words did not help.