The case for whistle blower protection

| Friday August 2, 2013 00:00

To ensure the public good and protect the common good, countries with whistleblowing laws rely on the actions of such public-spirited men and women - who are martyrs, really - to rein in propensity for excess, especially in the public sector. This is necessary because the courage required to carry out this type of duty can come at a huge cost to the whistleblower. Indeed, in many parts of the world, including those with desirable laws, whistleblowers often fall victim to the schemes of the heartless miscreants who combine to ensure that the 'do-gooders' are blown out of the way. No one needs reminding that scoundrels are, by their nature, Mephistophelian reprobates who will stop at nothing to achieve their nefarious aims. But because no matter how widespread the scourge may be in the public service and among those who do business with government - many of them when they should not - most Batswana balk at corruption since they know how deleterious it can be. It is thus imperative that everyone should be on the lookout for the sleazy and depraved characters bent on defeating the common good. The degenerate villains must thus be stopped before they poison every good office and ultimately take food out of our children's mouths. But we should feel free and sufficiently protected to report corruption to relevant authorities so that the rogues are brought to book and their evil ways beaten back. It is because of the absence of such protection that several whistleblowers have already suffered gratuitous consequences in Botswana.  The Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), where the minster 'irresponsible' fired three board members for exposing pong and shielded the malefactors is a case in point. What is particularly harrowing about the BDC episode is that the minister was acutely aware of the evil that had come to pervade the government's investment arm. In the end, it took a spirited private press and a bold MP to expose the fullness of the rot, and the board members who had been fired for their noble conduct were vindicated. The less said about the minister, who is still in office, the better.  Thankfully, Parliament has adopted the report of the Special Select Committee that investigated the BDC and the Palapye Glass Project. With similar gusto, the media has been awash with reportage on mindboggling corruption at Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) where millions have also been lost in a decidedly racially inspired scam that, like the BDC's, straddled the world. Again it took a courageous Parliament to investigate the conspiracy by a Special Select Committee.

We are heartened that the Parliament of Botswana is abandoning the discreditable role of rubberstamping. We salute these committees, but what we need is a law to protect whistleblowers. 

                                                              Today's thought

              'A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.'

                                                Thomas Paine  - Common Sense