Who's in charge here?

Clearly, it's not the nation's politicians.

By AMNON RUBINSTEIN
Livni cool 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Livni cool 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Who are Israel's leading personalities? The Marker, an economic supplement of Haaretz, last Tuesday selected the 10 most influential. The list begins with the allpowerful attorney-general, continues with a number of officials - the state comptroller, the state attorney, two senior police officers, the president of the Supreme Court, the governor of the Bank of Israel - and ends with a number of bankers and tycoons. It can be summarized as a who's who of "wealth and law enforcement," as distinct from the much- touted " wealth and government." What's most interesting about the list is the total absence of elected politicians. Needless to say, the prime minister is not regarded as an influential person, in view of Ehud Olmert's intention to leave Kadima's leadership. But the absence of any other minister is more of a surprise. Indeed, it is the appointed officials and not the ministers who make the list: the attorney general, state attorney and investigative police officers rather than the minister of justice; the governor of the Bank of Israel rather than the minister of finance; the tycoons rather than the chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee. Such a list can hardly be imagined elsewhere. Is it conceivable that bankers, real estate billionaires and police officers would oust any politician from a similar list in other democracies The Marker's choice is a testament to the downgrading of the democratic process itself in our country. Indeed, one may ask what is the purpose of elections ? The list's subliminal message is clear: If you want to be influential, don't run for election - run to the stock exchange, to the Attorney-General's Office, to the police academy. Forget the government. Become a detective. Make money. Run a bank. A more destructive message for democracy cannot be imagined. UNELECTED FUNCTIONARIES should not be more influential than elected politicians: Politicians are answerable to the public and can be replaced. Bureaucrats are answerable to no one, and in Israel can rarely be dismissed. Successful businessmen don't depend on public support. Enlightened Israelis used to worry about the danger to our democracy from the fanatical Right. That danger cannot be dismissed, but it is supplemented by the new practice of denigrating all politicians, vilifying all Knesset members as corrupt and sanctifying successful businessmen and crusading law enforcers. The explanation is obvious: recent allegations of corruption in high places; the inability of successive governments to govern; the disproportionate power of small groups under our purely proportional system; the feeling that new elections will not bring change; the flashy lifestyle of political leaders; the PR spin which replaces policy; and, on the other hand, the truly amazing success stories of Israelientrepreneurs. All these factors explain the gradual delegitimization of politics. And yet, despite this explanation, it is necessary to reiterate that there is no substitute for the democratic process, and that this process must involve politicians exercising power side by side with lawyers and policemen enforcing the law fairly. What should be done? No new elections will remedy this malaise unless accompanied by a series of structural reforms to mitigate the weaknesses of a purely proportional system, enable governments to govern and redress the balance between elected and non-elected functionaries. The writer is a professor of law at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, a former minister of education and MK and the recipient of the 2006 Israel Prize in law.