By blowing the whistle at our Guerrilla Events citizens of Sarajevo, Podgorica, Pristina, Tirana, Skopje, Chișinău and Belgrade said no to corruption and symbolically saved 8,404,993.73 EUR
May 19, 2021: The citizens of Sarajevo saved 1,249,600 KM in RAI’s “Whistle for the End” Guerrilla Event
As part of the street performance, citizens of Sarajevo pressed the “Whistle for the End” button and thus symbolically saved 1,249,600 KM from destruction that was happening in front of them, in a transparent box.
‘Whistle for the End’ marks the start of the Public Awareness Campaign organized under the auspices of the regional project ‘Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the whistleblowing policies and culture in Western Balkans and Moldova’ funded by the European Union and implemented by the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative Secretariat (RAI).
By reporting corruption, whistleblowers contribute to the prevention, detection and investigation of corruption. Without whistleblowers, there is no effective fight against corruption, and in a society where corruption prevails, citizens do not enjoy equal rights and opportunities. Whistleblowers act in the interest of all of us, as they contribute to building the rule of law and a society in which everyone enjoys equal rights and opportunities – to employment, health care, education, a healthy environment and much more.
June 2, 2021: The citizens of Podgorica saved 263,238 KM from corruption!
On behalf of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, Director Jelena Perovic, who participated in the event, spoke about the important role of citizens in fighting against corruption. “The impressive performance we are witnessing, on one hand, symbolically shows the extent of corruption and its destructive nature, and on the other, it indicates our civic responsibility to, as part of the community, raise our voice against illegal and unethical actions that endanger the public interest.”, Perovic said.
Akvile Normantiene, Political Affairs Officer of the EU Delegation in Montenegro, noted at the event:
“The adequate legislation is the first step to ensure that whistleblowing is recognised as a matter to be entrenched in the law. Enforcement of the law is what shows in practice if this serves the purpose for which it is in place. On the other hand, it is the social and political system that determines if a person is going to blow the whistle in the first place. For this purpose, it is important not only to establish functioning mechanisms for reporting wrongdoing and ensure the protection of whistle-blowers, but also to acknowledge that whistleblowing is an effective mechanism to ensure justice.’’
“With the street performance, we wanted to draw attention to the damage that corruption causes to our society and to the significant role that each person has in the fight against corruption,” said Aneta Arnaudovska, Senior Anti-corruption Advisor of the RAI Secretariat.
June 10, 2021: The citizens of Tirana whistled for the end and symbolically saved 19,440,800 ALL from corruption
During the 24 hours, in Tirana, 19,440,800 ALL were saved from misuse by corruption. The citizens of Tirana showed that they are aware that their money is being destroyed daily in front of them.
Throughout the day, the destruction of money was carried out symbolically through a money shredding installation in a transparent box, to show everyone the irreversible damage that corruption brings to society. By choosing to press the button and “Whistle for the End” to corruption the citizens stopped the destruction of money for a minute.
This “Whistle for the end” street performance is part of the Educational and Information Campaign that the Regional Public Awareness and Education Campaign on Whistleblowing, which Regional Anti-corruption Initiative (RAI) is implementing with the financial support of the European Union, within the project “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing the Whistleblowing Policies and Culture in the Western Balkans and Moldova”.
On this occasion, Mrs. Elmerina Ahmetaj Hrelja, RAI’s Project Manager, noted: ‘In this way, we also send a message that we are with whistleblowers – persons who make a brave and selfless decision by reporting corruption, putting themselves in the service of the public interest’.
June 16, 2021: The citizens of Pristina whistled for the end and symbolically saved EUR 870.000 from corruption
When you are well organized, 24 hours is enough time to travel to the other side of the planet, read a book, or learn a new skill. However, 24 hours is enough time for the “destruction” of a lot of money which Kosovo* loses every day from corruption. Through a 24-hour “Whistle for the End” performance in Pristina on June 16, 2021, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) demonstrated to citizens how they can save money from corruption, by pressing a button, i.e., symbolically blowing the whistle.
Mr. Shaip Havolli, Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency (AKK), who participated in the event spoke about the cooperation with RAI in fighting the phenomenon of corruption. On this occasion, Director Havolli noted the progress made in implementing the Law on Protection of Whistleblowers while stating “I invite all officials who consider that they have noticed violations in their organization to report such violations in cooperation with responsible officials and thus increase transparency and institutional and individual accountability.”
On behalf of the RAI, the media was addressed by Ms. Elmerina Ahmetaj Hrelja, Project Manager, noted: “We invite citizens to ‘Whistle for the End!’ by pressing the button and thus symbolically stop corruption and further destruction of their money. This gesture will show us how much money together we can save from destruction when we do not accept to participate in corruption.”
June 23, 2021: The citizens of Skopje whistled for the end and symbolically saved 111 million denars from corruption
During the performance at the Square “Macedonia” in Skopje, the destruction of money was shown symbolically, while in reality it is really destroyed through corruption, which is all around us.
Untouchable until the citizens, by their actions and raising their voices, change it. This time they did it by actively participating in the performance and choosing to “whistle for the end” to corruption by pressing a button, and with their actions they saved more than 111 million denars.
Mrs. Aneta Arnaudovska, the Senior Anti-Corruption Advisor at the RAI Secretariat, noted in front of the media: “With the street performance, we wanted to draw attention to the damage that corruption causes to our society and to the significant role that each person has in the fight against corruption.”
In his address at the event, the EU Deputy Head of Delegation, Mr. Julian Vassallo highlighted: “The right to report corruption is a tool to foster transparency and integrity. And a way of protecting the common good. That’s why it is essential to establish mechanisms for citizens to report corruption safely and to be protected from any forms of retaliation, be it legal, economic or personal. Whistle-blowers can be truly encouraged to speak out against corruption only when they really trust the institutions that receive their complaints. Only then, citizens can fully contribute to the fight against corruption”.
The performance Whistle the end! on the central square in Skopje took place on the World Whistleblowers’ Day 2021. Mrs. Sofka Pejovska Dojchinovska, Member of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, emphasized the following: “Today, in a symbolic way, through this event, we demonstrated that each of us can contribute to the fight against corruption. However, in order to encourage more individuals to refuse participation in corruption and to actively get involved in the fight against corruption, institutional support is necessary. Anyone who wants to submit an initiative for possible corruption, especially whistleblowers, must have the support and the protection from the institutions.”
June 30, 2021: The citizens of Chisinau whistled for the end and symbolically saved 21,698,430.00 lei from corruption
During the performance at the Europe Square in Chisinau Central Park, the destruction of money was shown symbolically, while in reality it is really destroyed through corruption, which is all around us. This was the fifth street performance brought to the streets and squares of the Western Balkans and Moldova’s capitals, as a part of the “Whistle for the end!” educational and information campaign.
The event was opened by Ms. Laura Ștefan, Chairperson of the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative, Mr. Ion Pruteanu, Head of the Anti-corruption Education Division from the General Corruption Prevention Directorate of Republic of Moldova (NAC), as well as youth representatives – Ms. Vlada Șimon, anti-corruption volunteer of NAC and Mr. Valentin Josan, Youth European Ambassadors’ representative in Moldova.
Ms. Laura Ștefan, RAI Chairperson, said: “With this performance, we wanted to draw attention to the damage that corruption causes to society in the Republic of Moldova and to the significant role that every citizen has in the fight against corruption.” By pressing the button, the citizens “Whistled for the End” and in that way symbolically stopped corruption and further waste of their money. This gesture showed how much money together we can save from destruction when we do not accept to participate in corruption. In this way, we sent a message that we are with the whistleblowers – those citizens who, by reporting corruption, make a courageous and selfless decision, putting themselves in the service of the public interest.”
“In the last year, CNA has recognized the status of whistleblowers for 8 persons and maintains a good inter-institutional collaboration with the Office of the People’s Advocate. We are convinced that we are part of a society, that is fully aware of the harmful repercussions of corruption, we are confident in the success of the application and further promotion of the institute of the whistleblower. We urge you to become actively involved in altruism, courage, and civic spirit towards the eradication of corruption”, said Mr. Ion Pruteanu, the Head of the Anticorruption Education Department of the National Anticorruption Center.
Ms. Vlada Șimon, the anti-corruption volunteer of the National Anticorruption Center: “Citizens need to be aware that acting jointly with the state institutions against corruption and the corrupted is effective. Therefore, in order to restore confidence, we, the young people, must take measures to strengthen integrity, promote and strengthen the state’s efforts to prevent the consequences of illicit acts, including corruption, because we believe that the involvement and support of whistleblowers are essential at this time.”
Mr. Valentin Josan, the representative of the Young European Ambassadors, reiterated how essential the involvement of young people in the fight against corruption is: “It is important for us, young people, to be aware of the importance of every word spoken in defense of truth and justice. Every denunciation, even if left with no finality, has its certain impact. In such moments, what really matters is personal integrity and morality. So, let’s break the silence and whistle together for the end of corruption!”
July 8, 2021: The citizens of Belgrade whistled for the end and symbolically saved 30,392,685.00 RSD from corruption
During a 24-hour performance in Knez Mihailova street in Belgrade, Serbia, citizens have saved over 30 million RSD from corruption. With the final event of the guerrilla campaign, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) called the attention of the Serbian and the regional public not only to the scale of corruption but also to the key role that citizens have in fighting corruption.
Throughout the day, by choosing to press the button and “Whistle for the End!”, the citizens of Belgrade kept symbolically saving public money from ‘destruction’ in front of their eyes and eventually saved.
This is the final of seven street performances brought to the streets and squares of the Western Balkans and Moldova’s capitals, as a part of the “Whistle for the end!” educational and information campaign.
The event was opened by Ms. Dejana Grbic-Velagic, Chief Programme and Communications Officer at the Regional Anti-corruption Initiative Secretariat and Mr. Vladimir Radomirovic, National whistleblowing coordinator for Serbia on RAI’s project “Breaking the Silence: enhancing the whistleblowing policies and culture in Western Balkans and Moldova”, funded by the European Union.