‘Citizens need redress when wronged by MPs in the House’

Much remains to be done to continue improving transparency and accountability of MPs, Speaker Anglu Farrugia has said in his Sette Giugno address, proposing that citizens wronged by MPs in the House get a system of redress.

Speaking of a way of tempering MPs’ privilege, Farrugia said that citizens aggrieved by statements made about them in Parliament should have a right of redress. “We must ensure that this privilege is not abused of in the country’s highest institution, and in this regard I believe that the time has arrived to start looking at models which address this issue,” the Speaker of the House said.

He also said the ongoing review of Standing Orders should include regulations “which bestow greater dignity to this Parliament, even in which each Member addresses the House.”

Farrugia welcomed the new broadcasting facilities allowing parliament to be streamed live on the web and on TV.

The Sette Giugno commemoration marks the 94th anniversary of the bread riots, in which four men were killed at the hands of the British forces.

Farrugia’s speech gave more weight to the historical impact of the riot, and the effect it had towards the creation of the 1921 Amery-Milner Constitution.

“The inquiries carried out did not reveal the full truth concerning the event which left four dead and many injured [and] the British were keen on driving home the point that they were the victims. This is evident from the proceedings filed against many Maltese persons who were indicted in Court and imprisoned following the Sette Giugno riots, simply because they happened to be in Valletta at the time of the riots and uttered some words.”

One particular case cited by Farrugia in research he carried out, was that of Censu Arpa, a man who upon seeing one of the British marines shoot on the Maltese, tried to calm down the crowd and quell panic by shouting the words: “That was a shot in the air.”

“On the basis of these words he was accused of inciting the riot and was convicted to one years’ imprisonment with hard labour.”

Another was Cikku Debattista, convicted by court-martial to five years imprisonment with hard labour. The 33-year-old coachman was jailed “for being present and not doing his utmost to stop the riot. This shows that the authorities were not seeking to establish what really happened, but to shift the blame unto the Maltese people. It is indeed disgraceful that the Maltese people had to endure such treatment.”