MK Elkin. Sent out warning
צילום: גיל יוחנן
Coalition MKs to be sanctioned for 'rebellious' voting
Memo to MKs warns that those who vote against coalition's stance may have certain rights revoked
Coalition chairman MK Zeev Elkin (Likud) distributed a memo Tuesday which informs MKs of various sanctions that could be imposed on them if they undermine the government during votes.
The memo obtained by Ynet says "rebellious" MKs may put themselves at risk of the revoking of various rights given to coalition party members, such as the right to propose bills, to speak in Knesset debates, or to propose points of order.
It appears that the memo was prompted by an incident that occurred last week, during a vote on a bill intended to speed up government approval for changes in insurance rates.
The coalition voted against the bill, but MK Carmel Shama (Likud) decided to vote in favor. The outraged MKs then decided to punish him with sanctions.
But in his memo, Elkin wrote that the coalition had determined an MK could not be punished without prior warning. "Therefore I want to warn that from now on sanctions will be imposed on MKs that vote against the position of the coalition," the memo says.
Elkin wrote that MKs who violated this order would be subjected to a hearing, during which the coalition would decide which of the three sanctions should be used against him or her.
Shama appeared unmoved by the possibility that he would be punished. "The decision about me is disproportionate to the lack of response for other MKs who rebel on a regular basis," he said, adding that he would continue to support the insurance bill despite the warnings.
