For legislation aimed at stamping out corruption to work, the Barbadian culture of “see and don’t see” must change.
Deputy President of the Senate Rudolph Greenidge made this point as he spoke on the Whistleblower Protection Bill 2021 during Monday’s debate.
“I know of cultures where the prevailing school of thought is, where corruption is concerned, ‘every silent onlooker is a coward or a traitor’, or ‘the biggest encouragement for bad men to continue to do bad things is for good men to look on and say nothing’.
“On the other hand, our culture here is ‘stay in your lane’, ‘see and don’t see’, ‘hear and don’t hear’ and ‘turn a blind eye wherever you can’, so we will have a hard time getting this legislation to work if this type of indifference prevails,” Senator Greenidge said.
He encouraged Barbadians to speak out, noting that laws are being put in place to protect them.
“Whether it is on matters such as illegal dumping, child or spousal abuse, criminal offences, conduct threatening safety or health, or misuse of public funds, it is our civic duty to report corrupt practices to the authorities so we can make this country a better place,” he said.
Nevertheless, Greenidge warned whistleblowers to exercise some level of caution, despite the protection the legislation would offer.
“While you have the right to report on improper conduct, you need to be discreet about it. So don’t go discussing what you know with family and friends and other people close to you, because the possibility does exist that in an unguarded moment they may end up sharing it,” he said. (DH)
