I am utterly appalled and deeply insulted by what passes for political discourse in Israel. To make any kind of informed decision, a voter must know the policy positions of the candidates on crucial issues. Yet, what do we have? One candidate is asking for my vote because I can trust him to be lying about his real intentions. Another seeks to earn my vote by calling his opponent names (no kidding). So far, this campaign has less class than a fourth-grade election for class president, and I'm afraid it is only going to get worse. Such a situation is demeaning and should be intolerable.
Who represents the interests of the voters here? I don't mean in terms of Right-Left, religious-not-religious interests. I'm referring to the interest we all have as voters: access to information and a real opportunity to question candidates, and the ability to confront politicians and hold them to account for their behavior. In a democracy, where freedom of the press is assumed, journalists function as the investigators and providers of accurate information. Here in Israel, however, the media function more like a political party themselves, and so are not fit for the task of representing the public interest without bias.
Therefore, I would like to see the creation of a Voters' League that would be a strictly non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the processes of democracy in Israel. Such an organization, if large enough, might have the clout needed to provide a number of services to the public:
It could sponsor a public forum where the party leaders could state their views without editing by the press.
It could provide a public forum where candidates could debate each other on specific and substantive issues, and apply enough public pressure to influence the candidates to participate.
It could, as a non-partisan lobby, work to educate voters to demand a higher standard of government: one that is more transparent, accountable and responsive, and where corruption would not be viewed as inevitable and tolerable.
The League of Voters could collect dues from members to finance their programs. Free of the need for government or party support, they could work on our behalf without conflicts of interest. To begin, even without funding, they might form a committee to generate a non-partisan questionnaire and convince at least one newspaper to use it. This would be similar to a public service I recall Long Island's Newsday routinely provided before every election: a special edition with a list of all the candidates, highlights of their resumes and their unedited written responses to a series of questions. I would like to see these, for example:
What is your ultimate goal for the borders of Israel, and what steps are you willing to take to accomplish this?
What would you do to restore Israel's deterrent capability with respect to terrorism?
What is your view of political reform, and how would you act to improve accountability of elected officials?
What would you do to improve the security and accessibility of religious sites in Israel - all sites and all religions?
What is your opinion of "co-opting terrorists into politics" in general? What will you do about international demands to free convicted terrorists who may be elected to public office in the PA?
What is your ideal solution to resolve disputes about the status of Jerusalem neighborhoods?
What is your opinion of offering incentives to specific populations to move elsewhere as a means of separating populations? Would you offer these to Jews, Arabs, or both?
Do you see as desirable the involvement of Diaspora Jews in Israeli affairs? What would you do to promote or discourage it?
Of course, there are many more questions that might be asked. Opening a newspaper, TV, or radio forum for suggesting questions might be a useful step in encouraging voters to reconsider the political process and their role in it. That would be good for the press, as well as a public service. The benefit to the participating media would come in the form of increased circulation or viewership. The benefit to the electorate is obvious: it would greatly improve the wisdom of our choices if we actually knew what each candidate would attempt to do if elected, and it would also shield the victor's administration from claims of illegitimacy.
Does the successful formation of a strictly non-partisan, vigorous, grass-roots political organization sound improbable? Perhaps it did to American women at the turn of the century, as well, but Carrie Chapman Catt succeeded in founding the American League of Women Voters back in 1920, six months before women even had the right to vote in the US. Now, that League is a powerful advocate for citizens' rights, supporting voter registration and participation in government, and promoting a level of political responsibility and government transparency and accountability to which we in Israel have yet to aspire, let alone achieve. Such a non-partisan citizens' lobby could work here, as well.
Do we deserve better government? Yes, but only if we are willing to work for it; and the time is now.
Who represents the interests of the voters here? I don't mean in terms of Right-Left, religious-not-religious interests. I'm referring to the interest we all have as voters: access to information and a real opportunity to question candidates, and the ability to confront politicians and hold them to account for their behavior. In a democracy, where freedom of the press is assumed, journalists function as the investigators and providers of accurate information. Here in Israel, however, the media function more like a political party themselves, and so are not fit for the task of representing the public interest without bias.
Therefore, I would like to see the creation of a Voters' League that would be a strictly non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the processes of democracy in Israel. Such an organization, if large enough, might have the clout needed to provide a number of services to the public:
It could sponsor a public forum where the party leaders could state their views without editing by the press.
It could provide a public forum where candidates could debate each other on specific and substantive issues, and apply enough public pressure to influence the candidates to participate.
It could, as a non-partisan lobby, work to educate voters to demand a higher standard of government: one that is more transparent, accountable and responsive, and where corruption would not be viewed as inevitable and tolerable.
The League of Voters could collect dues from members to finance their programs. Free of the need for government or party support, they could work on our behalf without conflicts of interest. To begin, even without funding, they might form a committee to generate a non-partisan questionnaire and convince at least one newspaper to use it. This would be similar to a public service I recall Long Island's Newsday routinely provided before every election: a special edition with a list of all the candidates, highlights of their resumes and their unedited written responses to a series of questions. I would like to see these, for example:
What is your ultimate goal for the borders of Israel, and what steps are you willing to take to accomplish this?
What would you do to restore Israel's deterrent capability with respect to terrorism?
What is your view of political reform, and how would you act to improve accountability of elected officials?
What would you do to improve the security and accessibility of religious sites in Israel - all sites and all religions?
What is your opinion of "co-opting terrorists into politics" in general? What will you do about international demands to free convicted terrorists who may be elected to public office in the PA?
What is your ideal solution to resolve disputes about the status of Jerusalem neighborhoods?
What is your opinion of offering incentives to specific populations to move elsewhere as a means of separating populations? Would you offer these to Jews, Arabs, or both?
Do you see as desirable the involvement of Diaspora Jews in Israeli affairs? What would you do to promote or discourage it?
Of course, there are many more questions that might be asked. Opening a newspaper, TV, or radio forum for suggesting questions might be a useful step in encouraging voters to reconsider the political process and their role in it. That would be good for the press, as well as a public service. The benefit to the participating media would come in the form of increased circulation or viewership. The benefit to the electorate is obvious: it would greatly improve the wisdom of our choices if we actually knew what each candidate would attempt to do if elected, and it would also shield the victor's administration from claims of illegitimacy.
Does the successful formation of a strictly non-partisan, vigorous, grass-roots political organization sound improbable? Perhaps it did to American women at the turn of the century, as well, but Carrie Chapman Catt succeeded in founding the American League of Women Voters back in 1920, six months before women even had the right to vote in the US. Now, that League is a powerful advocate for citizens' rights, supporting voter registration and participation in government, and promoting a level of political responsibility and government transparency and accountability to which we in Israel have yet to aspire, let alone achieve. Such a non-partisan citizens' lobby could work here, as well.
Do we deserve better government? Yes, but only if we are willing to work for it; and the time is now.