Time to blow the whistle
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 14, 2014 -

In the heat and dust generated by the staggering and fiercely contested 16th Lok Sabha elections-2014, which fortunately got over on Monday, many of us must have probably missed out on an important development that took place in the fight for corruption in the country.

After months of delay and gathering dust from its first introduction on August 26, 2010 and its reference to a Parliamentary Standing Committee on September 16, 2010, to its approval by the Union Cabinet in June 2011, to its passing by the Lok Sabha on December 27, 2011 and its subsequent clearance by the Rajya Sabha on February 21, 2014, the long awaited Presidential nod to the Whistle-Blowers Protection Bill, 2011 was finally given on Friday, May 9.

But the election fever was raging so strong that most media reports simply missed out from giving adequate coverage on the issue and some even totally ignored it from giving any space.

But the fact still remains that in spite of its limitations here and there, the Whistle-Blowers Protection Bill, 2011 when enacted and enforced as an Act could change the very face and course of fighting against corruption in the Government and expose irregularities committed by public functionaries at the cost of tax payers’ money.

For the Bill to reach this stage, many whistleblowers have suffered threat, harassment and even murder in the past.

With corruption becoming a serious issue that has eaten into the very core of Indian society, various anti-corruption lobby groups in the country have been struggling long for a legislation to ensure protection of the whistleblowers as well as to facilitate disclosure of information for uncovering corruption in Government organisations.

And, Whistle-Blowers Protection Bill, 2011 is the outcome of that struggle.

Presidential nod to the Bill means that that the day would not be far when people who expose corruption in government can do so without any fear of victimization.

Most importantly, the Bill provides for a system as well to encourage people to disclose information about corruption or the wilful misuse of power by public servants, including Ministers.

So, this is a Bill that would truly empower the people of the country.

However, to ensure that no one misuse this power, the Bill has lays also down punishment of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to Rs. 30,000 for false or frivolous complaints.

In other words, any person who makes a malafide disclosure, knowing that it was incorrect or false or misleading, has to face the music.

With such a powerful legislation to fight corruption in the offing, now it is upto the people of the country, more particularly the anti-corruption lobby groups, to ensure that Whistle-Blowers Protection Bill, when enacted as an Act does not become another "paper tiger" like most legislations.

All that we would like to say here is that when many whistleblowers have suffered threat, harassment and even murder in the past, their sacrifices should not be allowed to go wasted at any cost.

Its time to blow the whistle and not be blown away.