Livni wants more public transparency for c'tee votes

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni wants to publicize voting records of members of her legislative c'tee; Legal Forum for Israel praises idea.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Tzipi Livni 370 (R) (photo credit: Nir Elias/Reuters)
Tzipi Livni 370 (R)
(photo credit: Nir Elias/Reuters)
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday said she would initiate a new level of transparency regarding publicizing the voting records of the members of the ministerial legislative committee she chairs.
Livni opened her first meeting as justice minister stating that, “I think it is right to act in the committee with transparency, including [on] how the ministers decide to vote, and I intend to check if, and to what extent, there are limitations on this decision.”
She continued, “We are referring to proceedings for which secrecy does not apply, and how the ministers vote on proposed laws which impact all of our lives is not a state secret.”
The Legal Forum for Israel praised Livni’s comments about publicizing the records. Its director Nahi Eyal commented on the need for transparency.
“Transparency is a vital necessity for democracy and holding up the proceedings of the committee to the light of day will help prevent shady deals,” he said.
Eyal also called on Livni to publicize the transcripts of the minutes of the committee for appointing judges, as he said former justice minister Ya’akov Ne’eman had promised the Forum this would be done.
He added that these steps were also necessary to restore the public’s faith in the judicial system, which he said was low after a number of incidents with judges and a low level of transparency.