By Chantalé Fletcher
OROPOUCHE MP Dr Roodal Moonilal describes the Whistleblower Protection Bill, 2022, as “Gestapo” legislation.
He said, “This Gestapo bill which threatens every employer, every employee and every citizen will be condemned by everyone.”
During the debate in the Lower House on Friday, he described the bill as a dangerous measure.
Dr Moonilal also questioned whether the whistleblower legislation was a conspiracy to protect a witness giving false evidence.
He said this came in the wake of the collapse of part of the Mosquito Creek, the termination of the contract for the Central Block of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and the firing of 500 people at TSTT. He said whistleblowing was related to in all these events.
He said, “All of the scandals we face in this country invariably has to do with whistleblowing.”
Dr Moonilal said that the Minister of National Security should have been the one to pilot the Whistle Protect Bill and not the Prime Minister.
He said, “So, When we came this morning, we expected the Minister of National Security to present his case, but lo and behold the PM did that.”
Dr Moonilal said the bill stated that every employer was bound to establish a machinery for collecting disclosures, which were information on improper conduct (criminal offences.)
He said with a breakdown of the process which began with the employer establishing a Whistleblowing Reporting Officer was similar to trade union shop steward, but the whistleblower was the one who made a disclosure.
Dr Moonilal also questioned the appointment and qualifications of a Reporting Officer in the bill.
He said, “When the Reporting Officer collects this information, he or she looks at it. It can be given to the persons and there’s no need to advance the matter with your name but the Whistleblowing Officer knows the name of the person, but he or she doesn’t need to advance it with the name.”
“A recipe for madness,” was how he described this.
Dr Moonilal said, “As this rumour-mongering society everybody who has a grievance within the employer, will say look I have evidence of improper conduct.”
He said, “Employers must know from now on, that employee was not going to be working in the service of the company full time. And he or she must be paid full time but must be given sufficient time to conduct duties as a Reporting Officer.”
The Oropouche MP said this officer could not be involved and work as an agent without remuneration.
Dr Moonilal said a whistleblower and all these officers needed to understand technical legal terms, such as reasonable grounds, what were recklessness and negligence.
He said, “And a Reporting Officer who we don’t know the qualifications of, maybe hardworking, but never seen the front door of a college, has to say, ‘I understand what are reasonable grounds.’”
Dr Moonilal asked, “So, what do you know, do you hire a lawyer to give them advice? Every employer needs to have a lawyer now to give advice to their Reporting Officer?”
