MK demands lobbyists in Knesset cmtes identify themselves

During Knesset's Finance Committee meeting, Labor MK Stav Shaffir asks all present state names for record, chasing lobbyists out of room; intends to ask House Committee that everyone present in Knesset committees identifies so that MKs know whose interests are promoted

Moran Azulay|Published: 05.30.13 , 00:24

MK Stav Shaffir (Labor) demanded Wednesday that lobbyists at a meeting of the Knesset's Finance Committee identify themselves and the corporations they were representing.

In her Facebook account, Shaffir wrote she had asked the chairman of the committee, MK Nissan Slomiansky to demand that lobbyists identify themselves, but he refused.

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"I couldn’t bear it, and together with the people of the Social Guard (NGO monitoring parliament), we took the names of lobbyists in the room and made a list… When I started reading the list out loud – so that the names are added to the record and everyone knows who was whispering, intervening and pressuring MKs and advisors during the pivotal centralization law – Slomiansky stopped me."

Shaffir added that a few of the lobbyists were furious at the "violation of their sacred rights," others insisted they were just sitting there doing nothing, and some members of the coalition said there weren't "any lobbyists present."

Once the lobbyists caught the attention of members of the press present at the meeting, some of the former left the room, Shaffir noted.

The member of Knesset told Ynet she intended to take the matter to the Knesset's House Committee and "demand that everyone present in Knesset committees states one's name for the record. That includes lobbyists, those who serve tycoons and representatives of associations and organizations.

"There are those who have something to hide and those who don’t," she added. "It's only fitting that everyone is on the record and is identified by name so that MKs have all the information and are not misled" as to which and whose interests are promoted.