The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has called on the public to take up the role of whistleblowers to help build a society free of corruption.

The Volta Regional Director of the Commission, Daniel Mensah said it was the responsibility of the citizenry to report crime and added that whistleblowing was not a tool to settle personal scores.

He said this at a community durbar organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Public Accountability and Environmental Governance on Wednesday at Ho Dome.

The Director said a whistle blower was not an enemy of the community and assured the public of their protection under the Whistle blowers Act saying anyone caught exposing whistleblowers faced a five-year jail term.

He added that whistleblowing was not for personal interest, but rather to protect the community and that a whistle blower must not be anonymous. 

Mr. Mensah said dishonesty remained the main basis of corruption and urged citizens to desist from corrupt practices so they did not inspire their children negatively.

The engagement forms part of the Accountability, Rule of Law, Anti-Corruption Program (ARAP) funded by the European Union.

Ho Municipal Director of NCCE, Mr. Francis Dusey said the Commission under the ARAP was required to campaign, advocate and lobby for increased accountability and reduction in corruption in Ghana.

The programme aims at sensitising the citizenry on public accountability, especially on whistleblowing so as to enable them contribute towards the reduction of corruption and help deepen public accountability in the country.

Deputy Regional Director of the NCCE, Patrick Asiedu, encouraged the community members to abide by the rule of law and maintain sanitation in their community, not to throw refuse around and into gutters, which choked the gutters and led to floods.

Chief of Ho Dome, Togbe Howusu entreated the community to obey the law including; traditional bylaws.

He encouraged the NCCE, CHRAJ, and the Police to undertake more such programmes to help the people become law abiding citizens.