Mentors Comment:

One can start the answer with defining whistle­blowing in brief. Then one should highlight the
importance of whistle­blowing in public as well as private institutions with suitable examples. Later
conscience should be defined briefly and the role played by conscience in the act of whistle­blowing
should be discussed.

Answer:

Whistle­blowing refers to the process by which insiders `go public’ with their claims of malpractices by, or within, organizations — usually after failing to remedy the matters from the inside, and often at great personal risk to themselves.

Importance of whistle-blowing:
 Whistle­blowing is a valuable tool in any organisation’s corporate governance strategy as it empowers employees to act on incidences of misconduct and help maintain a safe workplace, while protecting profits and reputation. It is true that under normal circumstances, an organisation is entitled to total loyalty and confidentiality from its employees. But when there is serious malpractice or when people’s lives are at stake — as in corruption and fraud in defence procurement; deaths in `encounter’ of innocent persons; toxic leaks from a chemical factory; non­adherence to flight safety standards by an airline; creative accounting and false declarations by a company; cheating and plagiarism in scientific research, for example — the overriding public interest may lie in protecting
the public’s right to be told
 It helps in rectifying even the smallest incidents of wrongdoing, thereby instilling similar responsibilities in others and creating a better environment for all.
 It creates an environment for ethical governance in public as well as private organizations.
 It fosters a culture of self­regulation and accountability.
 If staff concerns about wrongdoing are not handled properly, an organisation’s reputation could come under threat.
 It is true that under normal circumstances, an organisation is entitled to total loyalty and confidentiality from its employees. But when there is serious malpractice or when people’s lives are at stake — as in corruption and fraud in defence procurement; deaths in `encounter’ of innocent persons; toxic leaks from a chemical factory; non­adherence to flight safety standards by an airline; creative accounting and false declarations by a company; cheating and plagiarism in scientific research, for example — the overriding public interest may lie in protecting the public’s right to be told.
 Without whistleblowers, we may not get to learn about problems until it is time to mourn the consequences.

Role played by conscience:
 Conscience is something within human beings that determines the morality of human actions. It is a special act of the mind that comes into being when the intellect passes judgment on the goodness or badness of a particular act.
 Employees in private as well as public organizations are expected not only to do the things right but also do the right things. Here, conscience comes to play a role in identification of right things. In the act of whistle blowing one requires to identify the right thing to do. He has to solve the ethical dilemma of balancing the organisational good and public good. In choosing between the two, conscience becomes a deciding factor because it is accumulated intellect about the perception of right and wrong.
 The ultimate decision will be made based upon the conscience, which is a uniquely human attribute of discretion and identification of what is right or wrong. It’s a difference between what “is” and what “ought” to be. An individual may be an employee but he is also a citizen and, and owe certain responsibility to the people as a whole. So as long as the potential threat is real and not perceived, the importance of whistleblowing cannot be undermined.

What happened during the Nazi regime in the concentration camps of Auschwitz brings this dilemma to the forefront. As a loyal employee the regime expected the officers to execute millions of jews mercilessly, there were only a handful who had the courage to refuse and stand up for what was morally right in real sense. They might have been labelled as traitors by their regime, but in the end analysis emerge as heroes and history is replete with examples of such heroism. In the Indian mythology the act of Vibhishana is considered to be of a traitor, as he betrayed his own brother but without his role the evil of Ravana could not have come to an end.