Kadima Begins Government With "Corruption-Lite"

The Wrong Foot (Jerusalem Post editorial):

At what point in the coalition negotiations do the parties jointly decide, "it's not our money, let's stick it to the voters"? It is difficult to interpret the decision to form a government of a minimum of 27 ministers in another manner. Such profligacy is a form of corruption, and clearly starts the nascent government on the wrong foot.

The government of Binyamin Netanyahu of just a decade ago stuck to the legal limit of 18 ministers. Ehud Barak subsequently asked the Knesset to override the law, allowing him to appoint a government of 25 ministers. Ariel Sharon at one point presided over a government of 28 ministers, but he "only" had 25 at the outset.

Now Kadima and Labor have announced that, after hours of agonizing negotiations, a breakthrough was reached when Kadima accepted Labor's demand of seven ministries, leading to 12 ministers for Kadima. Previously, negotiations had been based on a formula based on 23 to 25 ministries, of which Labor would control about five and Kadima eight.

Senior Labor member Eitan Cabel reacted, "We received almost everything we wanted and even more than we expected." The same cannot be said for the voters, who will pay for this result in more ways than one.

The government could well grow further to a record 29 ministers, since Kadima's other expected coalition partners - Shas and Israel Beiteinu for starters - are now demanding additional ministers as befits the new formula. The direct cost of the additional ministers and deputy ministers will not be negligible, but it could also be just the beginning.

Almost half of the Knesset members in the government are now "ministers." What is not well understood is that these new ministries will be staffed by ever-growing legions of political cronies. Sharon's systemic corruption in political appointments (despite his promises to the contrary) will likely prove to be one of his most lasting legacies. Get ready for a lot more of this collaboration between Olmert and Peretz. This is what I predicted before the last election, saying "Israel is heading for long-term disaster by placing these [Kadima] foxes, along with Peretz's Labor, in the henhouse rules committee."