Foreign Minister Junnai Oslo (Media) wants to ‘look internally’ and hold talks on how to handle the NPO whistleblower’s signal in 2020. BNR reported yesterday that the whistleblower has contacted the highest official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Education, culture and science. She had a special relationship with then-NPO President Chula Rigsman.
Read also | Top officials leave whistleblowers out in the cold, MPs want an explanation
According to BNR, if the whistleblower had known, that person would never have gone to the ministry with signs about high salaries at the public broadcaster. The salary cap will be avoided by construction, depending on the person involved.
‘Take it seriously’
“I believe above all else that people should feel safe to report and to be listened to,” Oslo says. But the Minister confirms, the concerned official, Marjan Hammersma, unlike the whistleblower, that the signal has indeed been picked up. But I will have more conversations about it. I think we should take it seriously.
In a statement, Hammersma, the ministry’s secretary general, said he “conducted the conversation in strictest confidence” and only briefed the minister on the matter. “I always keep the private sector and work separate, and that was the case here as well.” Oslo also says, “I suppose everyone can separate professional, private, and business.”
If asked, the minister also wants to speak to the whistleblower. “I don’t know who it is, but I’m open to it.”