Whistleblowers or Offenders?

I found this article tonight by Andrew Wilkie. He was a former intelligence officer who spoke out against the Australian Government in respect of the legitimacy of Australian involvement in the war in Iraq.

The article raises questions about whistleblowers being smeared for speaking out. Democracy is about freedom of speech so these issues run to the core of what our society stands for. Do we listen to some and not others because they differ? Do we undermine or find ways to discredit them in the game of influence? or do we learn what real democracy is and embrace differences with courage? I think of Don Dunstan who stated ‘keep the bastards honest’. I really like that down-to-earth statement.

http://thecornfieldonline.com/index.php?topic=25834.5;wap2

Australian member of Paliament believes Assange has been set up:

Quote

Former intelligence official and independent MP Andrew Wilkie says the rape charges brought against WikiLeaks’ Australian founder Julian Assange “could definitely be a set-up”.

Mr Wilkie, who controversially went public with his concerns about the case for going to war in Iraq, said governments tended to overreact when faced with individuals who defied their wishes.

“The organisational response to whistleblowers is pretty predictable. They’re [portrayed as] troublemakers, they don’t know what they’re talking about, they’re mentally unstable,” Mr Wilkie told ninemsn.

“When organisations are confronted with people they find they can’t control they often lash out fairly powerfully and savagely.”

He said governments responded in a theatrical way to threats because they wanted to send a signal to deter people from speaking out.

“Of course governments don’t want to be embarrassed. And they will tend to overstate the harm caused by these things.”

The Howard government tried to smear Wilkie in 2003, but he was very highly regarded in the military and intelligence agencies here so it went over like a lead ballon, and they gave up on it.