FORMER Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been ordered to serve 18 months in jail for bribery, as per reports of local dailies. Olmert had been sentenced to six years by a lower court in 2014, but this was reduced by the Supreme Court. The 70-year-old was convicted over a real estate deal that took place while he served as mayor of Jerusalem, prior to becoming prime minister in 2006.And, of course, there is no higher official than a prime minister — even though he has stepped down from office. While even ordinary Israelis attack Palestinians with impunity and get away with it – there has not been a single conviction of an Israeli for attacking a Palestinian Arab in Israel — it seems that even one case of corruption is enough to convict an ex-high official of the government.If only this strict adherence of the rule of law were to apply to Palestinian Arabs who are attacked by members of the Israeli Defence Forces and by Israeli civilians then Israel would truly become a democracy. Unfortunately, this mechanism of action and punishment does not apply to Palestinians who are hurt or killed by Israeli citizens.But the fact that the rule of law exists is something to think about — in however imperfect a fashion. In our country the Anti Corruption Commission remains a paper tiger — it has hardly put any current official on the dock for corruption. The way ACC cleared many holders of public office of all charges, allegedly involved serious corruption, has definitely dented its image as well as the government’s. The reconstitution of the ACC has boomeranged badly because it could not act independently and impartially, rising above party lines and influence. That means the operational independence of the Commission cannot be fully ensured if legal loopholes remain unaddressed.We know it is of no use blaming the Anti-Corruption Commission when we have not been able to ensure our voting right for ourselves. We should ask ourselves what we deserve as a nation. No nation can get what it does not deserve. It is so easy to talk about democracy and deny peaceful elections so as to call it free and fair. Where politics of elections can easily be flouted there the people cannot expect the rule of law or Anti-Corruption Commission to have the courage or honest to act independently.
