Definition of "clueless"; see "Livni"

The more the Israeli political elite opens its collective mouth in mock self-criticism, the more it proves how clueless are its members about true democracy. Tzipora Livni's pronouncements at Tel Aviv University last Monday ("Livni: Israel on quick path to anarchy," Jerusalem Post, 23 June 2008) provided a memorable example.

Livni astutely bemoaned the public's "collective feeling that demonstrates a lack of public faith in elected officials." Had she stopped there, she would have merely placed herself in the company of demagogic politicians who state the obvious in order to gain popularity points. But she felt compelled to venture outside the confines of reason by adding her prescription for restoring public faith. "The elected official must get to know his office, to talk with the office workers, to try and create reforms if change is needed."

No, Tzipi. The first step towards restoring the public's faith in its public servants is not making your office a happy place for the grunts. In a democracy, the public's faith is maintained when a clear, honest effort is made to address public concerns. The public is a lot less concerned with your office politics than it is with your accountability and your effectiveness in matters of national policy.

Political corruption and incompetence in our government stem from the disconnect of elected officials from any semblance of a public constituency. For this, we can thank proportional representation and the parliamentary executive system, which are based on the defacto foundations of Israel's governance: sectarian entitlements and party hegemony. Your own political sense, Tzipi, is so compromised that you can't perceive two democratic absolutes: the public has a right to be heard and the Israeli public should have final say over who writes their laws and executes policy.

We can rehabilitate our democratically-challenged elite by reforming our system of elections and governance with two philosophical foundations: the individual, direct accountability of every elected official to a public constituency and public service in a professional executive bureaucracy. Integrity and merit in public service, not officeplace interpersonal feng shui, restore public faith in elected officials.