Year of the pundits
Yoel Marcus
Haaretz, 31 December 2002
When the Trade Bank collapsed and its clients lost all their money, the governor of the Bank of Israel, David Klein, appeared on a radio talk show. One of the victims called up and asked: "How do things like this happen?" Klein didn't beat around the bush. "You should have put your money in a big bank," he said.
Now David Klein has made it clear that even big banks are not exactly safe. Even the biggies could go under, he told an audience of industrialists and businessmen, repeating this remark in an interview with Ma'ariv. And it's not because the supervisor of banks has done anything wrong; it's because government policy stinks.
If the public didn't make a mad dash for the bank on Sunday to pull out all its money and savings, and empty its safety deposit boxes, it was because Klein wasn't speaking in an official capacity. He was speaking from the sidelines, as a critic of the government.
And he's not the only one. Ministers, generals and senior functionaries whose job it is to run the country all treat their failures as if they had nothing to do with them.
They are not leaders, navigating Israel's course. They are merely political analysts. In fact, the year 2002, which ends tonight at midnight, could be summed up as the Year of the Pundit.
During this past week - a week of terror, violence in the territories, winds of war, corruption and grim poverty statistics - the public got a whiff of how our leaders dodge responsibility by spending their time commenting on the situation. At least two guys at the top - Klein and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz - cast doubt on our ability to survive in this country.
Klein, for instance, spoke about impending economic catastrophe and inevitable collapse unless something is done right away. Another hike in taxes, he said, and the people we need would be out of here, together with their businesses. The reference, presumably, is to the few who are still around.
The defense minister, in a private conversation made public by Ma'ariv, warned that if a non-conventional missile were to fall in Israel, it would wreck our self-confidence and people would wonder if there was any point in living here anymore. Unlike other pundits in the defense establishment, such as the head of Military Intelligence and the chief of staff, who say the chances of such an attack are nil, or almost nil, Mofaz believes just the opposite: Missiles are sure to be lobbed our way, no question about it. If the media said such things, it would be raked over the coals for irresponsible journalism.
One might think that the corruption brought to light in the Likud primaries - and this is just the tip of the iceberg - took place in another country. In 1977, the public cast its ballot for a change of government over a lot less than that. It was Labor's punishment for not hiding the corruption.
Yitzhak Rabin, in his first term as prime minister, was no pundit. He was a political virgin whose unforgettable reply to anyone who asked him to get involved was: "Every man for himself." He, himself, was forced to step down as prime minister over the overseas dollar account affair. Ariel Sharon, on the other hand, who was in a god-awful hurry to sign up hundreds of thousands of new Likud members in order to neutralize Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, claims he hasn't the foggiest idea how this gigantic flock materialized.
But Sharon, the political analyst, who only sees the Arabs' responsibility for terror and not the part he plays in egging them on, does what commentators do when they have no explanation for what is going on: He uses distraction. Corruption? That's not the issue. The main thing is getting ready for the war on Iraq. Scare tactics never hurt a commentator when the words run dry.
Upon retiring this week, deputy attorney general Yehudit Karp expressed concern over the threat to human rights and democracy in this country. She spoke of the infiltration of organized crime in all spheres of life and the crookedness of government officials.
A few days earlier, the police commissioner pulled himself up to his full height on television and warned about Mafia elements penetrating the government.
So where is the responsibility of these people who talk about spiraling terror, rampant corruption, economic disaster and biological warheads? In what capacity, exactly, are they sounding the alarm? Who do they think they are? Danny Roup, who talks a lot about the weather, but never does the least bit to change it?
One way or another, here's wishing you all a Happy New Year.
