The Comptroller's Report
The Israeli State Comptroller, Micha Lidenstrauss, released his annual Report last Wednesday to the Israeli Government, and as usual it contains some shocking revelations. Here is a list of some of the items that are making news in Israel:
1. The Government has failed to make changes in several areas that were highly criticized in previous Comptroller Reports, such as stopping municipal and other Government officials receiving inflated salaries far in excess of the legal limits or appointing relatives to government positions.
2. Drivers with revoked licenses are still driving on Israeli roads, without any serious effort to stop them.
3. The police (a national force in Israel) have been ineffective in stopping organized crime, plans to start a special "organized crime task force" have foundered and promised economic actions against organized crime have not been implemented.
4. The Foreign Ministry has appointed under-qualified people to missions abroad, because of a lack of trained diplomats.
5. There are severe planning lapses in the fast Tel Aviv-Jerusalem train link, which are partly due to a lack of funding by the Olmert Government which gave the project low priority. While the line from Tel Aviv to Modi'in is now operating the estimated opening of the extension to Jerusalem has been delayed for at least another 5 years.
6. The Israel Broadcasting Authority is in a state of chaos, with competing plans both to reduce and expand it's operations, lack of funding and independent operation of different segments, such as the foreign language departments.
7. The number of illegal buildings in Israel are continuing to increase. There are now ca. 100,000 such edifices, the majority of them Arab constructions, and the Government is afraid of being labelled anti-Arab if demolitions proceed.
8. Power outages during the summer months are likely because the Israel Electric Corporation has failed to implement plans to ensure a sufficient power supply.
9. The school system is under-funded and the schools of East Jerusalem are in a state of crisis.
10. The health management system in Israel is not adequately organized, with shortage of specialists in some areas, such as geriatrics and anesthesiology.
There is more, but I won't bore you with further details. Maybe on this basis some of you will consider that Israel is not a good place to live, but on the contrary, considering where we have come from, the advances are amazing, and the fact that we have a Comptroller who shines light into all corners of Government activity is a sign of progress in itself.
1. The Government has failed to make changes in several areas that were highly criticized in previous Comptroller Reports, such as stopping municipal and other Government officials receiving inflated salaries far in excess of the legal limits or appointing relatives to government positions.
2. Drivers with revoked licenses are still driving on Israeli roads, without any serious effort to stop them.
3. The police (a national force in Israel) have been ineffective in stopping organized crime, plans to start a special "organized crime task force" have foundered and promised economic actions against organized crime have not been implemented.
4. The Foreign Ministry has appointed under-qualified people to missions abroad, because of a lack of trained diplomats.
5. There are severe planning lapses in the fast Tel Aviv-Jerusalem train link, which are partly due to a lack of funding by the Olmert Government which gave the project low priority. While the line from Tel Aviv to Modi'in is now operating the estimated opening of the extension to Jerusalem has been delayed for at least another 5 years.
6. The Israel Broadcasting Authority is in a state of chaos, with competing plans both to reduce and expand it's operations, lack of funding and independent operation of different segments, such as the foreign language departments.
7. The number of illegal buildings in Israel are continuing to increase. There are now ca. 100,000 such edifices, the majority of them Arab constructions, and the Government is afraid of being labelled anti-Arab if demolitions proceed.
8. Power outages during the summer months are likely because the Israel Electric Corporation has failed to implement plans to ensure a sufficient power supply.
9. The school system is under-funded and the schools of East Jerusalem are in a state of crisis.
10. The health management system in Israel is not adequately organized, with shortage of specialists in some areas, such as geriatrics and anesthesiology.
There is more, but I won't bore you with further details. Maybe on this basis some of you will consider that Israel is not a good place to live, but on the contrary, considering where we have come from, the advances are amazing, and the fact that we have a Comptroller who shines light into all corners of Government activity is a sign of progress in itself.
posted by Jack Cohen at 7:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home