A law lecturer with the Ghana Institute of Public Management and Administration (GIMPA), agrees calls for the review of part of the Whistle Blower’s Act are in order.

Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee also wants more education for whistleblowers whom she doubts have a clear understanding of the circumstances of their protection.  

“And they do not also trust that in fact they will be protected. It is one thing telling them they will be protected and it is another thing them being protected.

“If they don’t feel that they would actually be protected a lot of them are not going to utilise the system,” she said.

She was speaking Tuesday, June 25, at a National Dialogue on public accountability organised by the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences auditorium in Accra. 

The law lecturer was part of a host of distinguished discussants and anti-corruption crusaders as the Commission organised a national dialogue on ‘Public Accountability: Abuse of Office’.

Mrs Kasser-Tee shared the stage with Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo and Dr Stephen Adei

The dialogue forms part of the Commission’s role in the implementation of EU funded Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Accountability Programme (ARAP).

Answering a question regarding how whistleblowers will be confident to report acts of corruption she stated that if they do not trust the person they are reporting the issue to will not blow their cover, the individual will look on.

When moderator, Samsom Lardy Anyenini, asked her why they will look on uninterested when there are several options, Mrs Kasser-Tee quizzed if “people are aware of the options available to them.”

“What is the level of education among the public with respect to how the Act operates? I don't think the education is very clear with them and so that confusion pertains,” she observed.

The law lecturer also disagreed with the notion that the country’s traditional values system feeds into corruption.

“I do not think that is the case, people are corrupt because the cause of corruption is low but the benefits are high,” she noted.

According to her, if this is reversed such that the cost of corruption is high with low to zero benefits, the so-called traditional values will not affect corruption in any way.