There is an old saying in politics that states that perception is reality. This means that what needs to be taken into account in politics is not the actual truth but what people believe to be the truth. If a politician is perceived to be honest, then that is what he is until it can be proved otherwise. Again, if crime is perceived to be going up or down, then that is what is happening regardless of what the reality is. And if people believe that corruption is rife in the country and seems to affect all the organs of state, then that is the truth of the matter. Proving all this to be hype will require the opening of all administrative cupboards and the rolling up of all the carpets in the system.

So what matters most, reality or the perception of reality? For example, when it comes to retributive or criminal justice, the general opinion is that justice must not merely be done, but it must be seen to be done. For justice to be fair, it must be fair and be perceived to be fair. This principle applies to every branch of state, church and our private lives. We are referring to this principle when we use words like accountability and transparency to measure the workings of government. The fact that society perceives them to be somewhat lacking in many instances means that they are not in place.

Perception is everywhere and leads us to see what is not there as well as not to see what is actually there. For example, individual voters don’t choose governments. Nothing empowers them to do so in a political system made up of local constituencies. Rather, voters choose local representatives to represent them in Parliament. The government that results from an election is chosen by Parliamentarians, not by citizens. Many argue that this is how the system is supposed to work – local representatives are chosen to act as stewards of democracy in Parliament.

This view becomes problematic, however, when we consider that a significant proportion of citizens, in making a cross against one of the names on the list, are motivated more by a desire to see a certain party, or a certain leader in office. People may even vote strategically to keep certain parties or individuals out of power. It is becoming less important, in Malta at least, who the local representative is and the emergence of Local Councils has hastened this process. Being an MP is far less onerous nowadays for it is the party or the government that gets the credit or the blame. It is the nature of the political system today. When you ask people who they voted for, you are more likely to get the name of the leader of the party or the name of the party rather than the name of any local MP. It seems that this perception of the value of a vote is in fact so ingrained amongst voters that many people no longer consider it a perception, but indeed a reality of the utility of their vote.

Yes perception is reality and reality is perception in politics. With a 24-hour news cycle and numerous news outlets, perception has an even bigger role to play. Take for instance, the current economic crisis. We hear on the news channels that there are many people suffering right now in many countries. People are losing their homes, jobs and savings. These personal nightmares are constantly displayed in the media. One cannot escape the heart wrenching stories and slowly the public starts worrying that they will share the same fate. They see people in the UK, in Greece, in Spain, in Italy and in Ireland being hard hit and they begin to absorb the forecasts that imply that the sun is going to be below the horizon for a very long time.

Are 60 per cent of us struggling?

A recent EU survey revealed that around 60 per cent of Maltese are struggling to make ends meet. In the study, according to newspaper reports, 7.2 per cent of the Maltese said they fell back on paying their bills while 13 per cent did not have enough money for essential items, including food. Another 32 per cent said they were in a constant struggle to make ends meet. It was not a pretty picture. One must also remember that in Malta poverty is not readily exposed as the extended family has a way of looking after its own, thus masking to some extent the reality. It is only when you read that sales are down and that the World Cup has not really helped people part with their money that you start believing that not all may be right after all.

For the Prime Minister, the survey was a study in perceptions. He based this on the fact that the government had allocated huge sums in social benefits and to cushion the worst effects of the utilities’ hike. He was therefore claiming that in the country there is a perception that things are worse than they really are. He can also be interpreted as implying that the situation is really not bad at all despite the fact that some sectors have been worse hit then others by the hike in water and electricity charges, the ever rising cost of medicines and the diminishing power of each euro people spend. That in fact has been his constant message.

Is poverty just a perception?

Until the government decides to publish how people are doing sector by sector and stops seeking solace in the presentation of the whole landscape rather than of its component parts, then it will always be its word against the perception of the citizen. Pensioners claim that despite any statistical economic improvement, the percentage of old people not just at risk of poverty but actually below the poverty line has increased. And it has been increasing for some time. Between 2004 and 2007, there was an increase of 3 per cent in economic activity, but poverty rates rose from 16 per cent to 20 per cent. Here too the government can claim to have helped pensioners but the sad reality is that those at risk of poverty in 2008 went up to 22 per cent, while in Europe, the ratio has remained steady at 19 per cent despite the economic woes of most of the EU member states. Can pensioners in Malta be expected to subscribe to the claim that this is all just a perception and a false one at that?

Politics and perception

American journalist Ambrose Bierce defined politics as a “strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles”. Perhaps this too is just a perception!