Let the People Decide

MK Dr. Michael Ben Ari 

Division, segmentation- especially artificial segmentation- is the "bread and butter" of enemies from within and without. The pair of words "divide and conquer" is the working plan of every leader. Unity is, without a doubt, a principal factor in the accumulation of power. 

There is no one who opposes unity, only it must be true unity, with a previously decided upon common denominator.  This is the reason that I extended my blessings when the religious parties united.  This is a major step, albeit just the first of many steps that we took to reaffirm the public′s trust in their elected officials.   

We must clarify. The days of arranging committees, public councils, and other under the table deals securing victories for certain candidates are over. The big political parties see the public as the one who determines the final outcome of the elections. The reason that the public has turned their collective back on the religious parties is not because of divisiveness or scission, but stems from disappointment. The candidates see the public as workers for one day; they are only needed on voting day to cast their ballot. Before elections, one never hears from them, and surely not after they are elected. Therefore, the disheartened public turns to join the Likud, where they can be partners and have a voice in the decision-making, shaping the candidate list, and more. 

In order to reconnect the public and bring them home, it is imperative to understand and internalize the rules of the relationship: the public is the wagon driver, and the elected officials are the horse. Those that think otherwise will find themselves riding on an illusionary horse.  

Therefore the next necessary step is holding open primaries. When I use the word "open," this means giving talented individuals from "out in the field" a chance to compete as candidates. They would contribute to the diversity of the candidates, true to their actual strength in the public. These individuals would cause the candidates to be loyal to their voters on the day after elections, as well, as it occurs in the other parties.  Their loyalty to Eretz Yisroel and Jewish values would be under public scrutiny. 

The suggested system where "you look out for me and I reciprocate" will result in the desertion of the last few remaining mandates. The public council that established the Bayit Yehudi did not garner public trust for even one moment. The polls foresaw four mandates for them in their best times, before the Ichud Leumi split.  In this case, the split happened to have brought home another three mandates, who, when they saw that the only option is the "Bayit Yehudi", they opted to remain ′homeless." 

The public will return home when the obnoxious system of choosing candidates is obliterated and will become defunct. The advantages of primaries outweigh any disadvantages. Many will be enlisted, and will enlist, to speak their mind, to debate and polemize. Young fresh talents will view themselves as partners of equal opportunity, to refresh and initiate. The candidates themselves will have to clarify their clear stands on important issues such as opening businesses on Shabbos, collaborating in a coalition that announces willingness to establish a terrorist state in Yesha and expel Jews from their homes, and more.  

The voters will not receive a list that was compiled in a closed deal made in a darkened room. They will not accept the suggestion that the leading candidate will be chosen by the throw of a coin, like out of a Salach Shabati scene. Such deals are extinct, outdated.