Ordinary citizens mentioned in Parliament should have the right to clear their name, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia said yesterday.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Office of the Ombudsman, Dr Farrugia said the “civilian right to remedy” would help in cases where MPs, protected by their parliamentary privilege, harmed a person or company’s reputation or caused damages.

Dr Farrugia said he hoped to see this reform introduced as part of a holistic review of Parliament’s standing orders.

He said the principle of parliamentary privilege should remain intact but there should be a way for citizens to defend themselves.

This could happen by giving them the opportunity to petition the Speaker to investigate the case. The Speaker would then have three options: to call for the MP’s comments to be withdrawn, ex-plain with additional information to balance out the argument, or sanction an MP who refuses to clarify or withdraw his remarks.

This new remedy will put citizens in a much stronger position

Asked why no legal remedy had been given to ordinary citizens, Dr Farrugia said the breach of privilege regulations already established that if comments were not within the confines of parliamentary privilege, civilians could seek legal recourse.

“This new remedy will put citizens in a much stronger position than what existed before,” he said. Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino said his office worked as the conscience of public administration, defending citizens and ensuring good public sector governance.

He presented the Speaker with a copy of The State’s Duty to Inform, a publication on the obligation for transparency.