Caution: Another Unprincipled Politician at the Helm
Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Israel Beiteinu Party, has signed an agreement to join Ehud Olmert at the helm. If the deal is approved by the Knesset, Lieberman will become Vice Premier and Minister for Strategic Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office, responsible for strategic planning, working with National Security Council officials.
This power-sharing agreement required Lieberman to jettison his stated conditions for joining the government: (1) an official end to the “convergence” or unilateral withdrawal plan; (2) no uprooting of Jewish outposts in Judea and Samaria; (3) enactment of a law permitting civil marriages; and (4) establishment of a non-governmental commission of inquiry to investigate the mismanagement of the recent war with Hezbollah.
Accused of betraying his voters and his party’s principles to advance his own prime ministerial ambitions, Mr. Lieberman scornfully replied: “The role of a political party is to be in power, not to be just another protest movement.”
This political dictum, carried to its logical conclusion, makes nonsense of opposition parties! It reveals Lieberman’s contempt for democracy, as may be seen in his governmental reform plan, which would impose on Israel a president with unchecked power. We have here a politician who unabashedly asserts the primacy of power as opposed to ethical or ideological principles. The name of the game is self-aggrandizement.
Contrary to Lieberman’s amoral position, the role of a political party—certainly a party in the Knesset—transcends mere protest. The primary function of a political party in a genuine democracy is to represent the convictions and interests of its supporters, of those who have voted for that party and who have invested their energies and resources to its electoral success.
Political parties aside, a representative, according to James Madison, is supposed to “refine and enlarge” the views of his constituents—sometimes by juxtaposing their immediate interests to the permanent interests of the community.
By definition, an opposition party serves as a critic—ideally a constructive critic—of the government’s domestic and foreign policies. Such a party will also expose inefficiencies or any corruption in government ministries. This it is not to be expected if the party joins the government.
A serious opposition party will develop what may well be called a “shadow government.” It will have committees which more or less parallel government departments. It will have or recruit people who possess expert knowledge concerning the various public sectors: defense, foreign affairs, education, welfare, commerce and industry, science and technology, etc. These experts will not only serve as watchdogs of the administration; they will also be ready to assume a leadership or advisory role should the party lead or become part of a new government.
Whatever its particular agenda, an opposition party should preserve a nation’s abiding beliefs and values. In Israel, it should stand as a guardian of Jewish national honor and denounce any act of government that sullies the nation’s honor. Mr. Lieberman is hardly in a position to fulfill such a role, having joined a government led by Kadima, an ersatz party composed of political opportunists. Among the latter is the prime minister, who admitted that he cast his cabinet vote in favor of Lieberman’s government reform plan even though he opposed it. Olmert’s primary objective was not the good of the nation but retention of his own political power, bolstered by the addition of eleven Israel Beiteinu MKs to his shaky coalition.
It would be a profound error to think that the addition of Lieberman to the government signifies a shift to the Right. Lieberman has artfully cultivated a right-wing reputation. In reality, however, there is almost nothing to distinguish Lieberman from left-wingers aside from rhetoric. True, he resigned from the Sharon government over its (unprincipled) adoption of Labor’s “unilateral disengagement” plan. But by joining that government in the first place—and he did so despite a coalition agreement binding the signatories to the disastrous Oslo Accords—Lieberman virtually doomed Gush Katif (where he was conspicuous by his absence).
Maneuvering to become Israel’s next prime minister—he’s snookered Bibi Netanyahu—Mr. Lieberman should feel at home in the Kadima-led government of Ehud Olmert, a government devoid of any ideology. On the other hand, will Mr. Olmert feel at ease with Mr. Lieberman, who is not just “another” unprincipled politician?
