With the advent of the third alternation, there is immense hope for the consolidation of our public finances. Embezzlement and embezzlement had become commonplace. The new authorities, in their approach to rupture, launched the famous “Jub, Jubal, Jubanti”. It is in this context that the “whistleblower” concept was born. What about it?
According to dictionaries of the French language, denunciation is a form of denunciation which obeys despicable motivations. Aside from the fact that the application of the term “contemptible” can vary widely depending on one’s point of view, there are cases where evaluating an individual’s motivation in terms that condemn or approve of it is relatively impossible.
attached to denunciation is not present in the etymology of the word. This comes from the Latin term delator, which began by designating an accuser – without any other qualification – and whose meaning merged during the Renaissance with that of “chronicler” – one who reports the facts -, we must therefore go beyond the present lexical definition of denunciation and begin by distinguishing it from what it is not, before drawing its figures.
Denunciation is only one of the species of denunciation, which includes several others from which it must be differentiated. The victim is the most common source of denunciation, and not only with regard to criminal justice.
We also recognize the victim’s right to denounce their attacker and no opprobrium attaches to this denunciation. The informer is distinguished from the victim in this respect, the harm suffered is not usually the driving force behind the denunciation.
To tell the truth, the forms of denunciation are innumerable. Research on the subject led me to five main figures: the cliché, the occasional source, the regular source, the protected witness and finally the whistleblower.
One: the cliché, what is the cliché? In the mythological bestiary, the informer is the raven. The “crow” sends anonymous letters addressed to residents of a town. However, we can affirm that crows almost never address their denunciations to selected members of a community with the aim of destabilizing it. They reserve their communications for police, administrative or private authorities – often seeking to settle a score. It is not the police who receive the greatest number of anonymous denunciations, but the tax authorities. Yes the taxman!
Two: The occasional source, what is it? It boils down to anyone who speaks to the police to provide information. For the police, this person is a “source”. This designation is very broad and originally extends to the various people who provide information to the police, even if only on an episodic basis.
In its more technical sense, the occasional source is a person who informs the police repeatedly, without however his relationship with them being structured by a set of reciprocal obligations. It could be a retired person who relieves his boredom by spontaneously discussing the evolution of neighborhood morals with a local resident or a prostitute who is forced to inform the police to avoid trouble with her.
Three: The regular source, what do we mean by a regular source? This is the first case of denunciation. We refer to it under various names – snitch, informer, informant, balance, cafeteur, doulos. Unlike public opinion, the indicator pinpoints people rather than providing information on situations – the strength of the enemy, the deployment of its troops and so on. The essential characteristic of snitching is that it results from the establishment of a close and lasting link between the informant and his police controller.
Four: The “protected witness”. What does protected witness mean? The “protected witness” constitutes the second major case of denunciation. Here too, we refer to him under various names such as “repentant” or “whistleblower”.
The “whistleblower” in this specific sense has a large number of traits in common with the informer, with one essential difference: he agrees to testify in public against those he has denounced. As the prosecution’s evidence in these cases relies on the testimony of the informer, the latter testifies under high protection. This protection is all the more necessary since the protected witness frequently turns himself in to the police because he is convinced that his accomplices want to get rid of him.
Five: The Whistleblower. What meaning can we give to it? Considering the etymology of the term “whistleblower”, which refers to denunciation, the whistleblower is indeed a “day boolé” informer. In any case, this is the preferred scenario of the new authorities, particularly with the tax authorities, but especially the corruption which is plaguing the Senegalese administration. The phenomenon of “sampe”, with police officers and gendarmes in road traffic, is one of them.
The whistleblower is therefore the one who takes the side of the weakest – the prisoners, the small savers – against the tyranny of the strongest – the State and its torturers – for example, and thus reproduces the beautiful fight of David against Goliath .
Therefore, are we able to answer our initial question, namely: Is denunciation a civic act? If we mean by civic, any act which concerns the citizen and his role in political life -civic duties, civil rights-, we can, in my opinion, answer in the affirmative. If these acts are only oriented towards the good of the community whose aim is to improve the daily management of our common heritage, so that it gets rid of all forms of corruption, yes, whistleblowing is indeed indeed a highly civic act! It is even to be encouraged and rewarded!
Yakhya DIOUF
Education Inspector
Retired elementary
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