State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg has sent a number of findings involving suspected criminal actions to the Attorney General. Upon delivering the report to Knesset Speaker MK Reuven Rivlin, Goldberg said that during his term as State Comptroller, he had repeatedly encountered undesirable phenomenon, but his warnings had not caused them to be uprooted. He was mainly referring to breaches of moral integrity.
Goldberg added that examples of this public dishonesty could also be found in the report published today, including political appointments, favoritism in tenders, the employment of relatives, and various forms of cronyism. He said that, regrettably, it was all too frequently forgotten that the rule of law did not exist for its own sake, but was necessary to promote the good of all.
"In order to uproot breaches of moral integrity and corruption, a comprehensive and uncompromising system encompassing the entire public sphere," said Goldberg. "In my opinion, the inherent threat of corruption is greater than any other danger facing the country."
In response to a question whether public officeholders were examples of corruption and waste of public money, Goldberg said, "Isn't it obvious? Does somebody know what the aides do and how far their political interference reaches? Some even refuse to resign from their parties' electing bodies, even after being asked to do so. How far have we gone? I made my warnings, but I'm talking to a wall. They decided not to resign."
Goldberg went on to say, "I think that we should shun the politicization of the civil service like fire, and we shouldn’t take shortcuts or make excuses. I am totally opposed, because we have more permitted political appointments than the US.
"In the US, the ratio is one political appointee per 900 civil servants. In Israel, the ratio is 1:200. This isn’t something to be imported. A jobholder owes an obligation, and any attempt to wrap it in ideology is doomed to failure."
Goldberg concluded by saying that he was worried by ministers' attitude toward his criticisms. He was referring to last week's cabinet communiqué about the firing of Israel Broadcasting Authority director general Yosef Barel. Goldberg quoted a minister as saying, "Should everyone whom the State Comptroller writes about be forced to leave his post?" Goldberg replied, "Yes. If the criticism is extremely harsh, and if the person does not leave voluntarily, he should be shown the door."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on May 8, 2005