Jun 8, 2014

eventual law proposal: reveal state of finances

MK Shelly Yachimovitch (Labor) has announced that in light of the latest scandal, she is going to resubmit her law proposal that would obligate public officials to publicly reveal their finances, any properties owned by them, and any sources of funding and business connections.
source: Ynet

I think this is important. I have always wondered how people who have spent their entire adult life in public office are wealthy enough to own multiple apartments, along with having seemingly unlimited funds for travel and personal expenses.

A guy like Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, has worked in the private sector. I understand he might have earned his own wealth (though such a thing should be determined by revealing records to remove doubt and suspicion).. Somebody like Ehud Olmert, for example, has always held public office, even though he has a law degree. When he was first indicted, it became public knowledge that he was the owner of four very expensive apartments. How does a guy working his entire life in the public sector earn enough money to own four apartments? Maybe (I have no idea) his wife earned some money as an artist, maybe even some good money, but shouldn't the public know where he is making all this money?

Olmert is just an example. There are many politicians who have spent their entire lives in public office, and seem to live a lifestyle well above that of the salary of public officials. I think such a level of transparency is necessary for the future of politics in Israel. We cannot have every politician running for office always under suspicion, and we can't have people holding on to information and just waiting for the right day to use it - it is both blackmail along the way, and the politicians cannot function like that. They need to know they have the public's faith in them, and we need to know they deserve our faith and respect.




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

2 comments:

  1. Just wait till the S#I& hits the fan with our local politicians. Only a matter of time until major corruption and bribery exposed. Not saying this out of any facts know, just a strong hunch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. same story. you have people who have never worked a day in the private sector and can somehow afford to purchase [multiple] apartments and [multiple] cars... they should all be obligated to declare their finances... both to keep them honest and to stop suspicion

      Delete