At the dawn of the 21 st century, it is widely recognized that corruption is a serious threat to democracies all over the world. Recently, several articles in newspapers and journals have raised important issues and pondered on corruption, the function of government, and responsibility personal and collective. In Puerto Rico, the Office of the Comptroller has a decisive role on these issues. Government is a manifestation of the impulse of the human community to organize for social, economic and political purposes. Any corruption in the government is essentially an attack upon ourselves and our aspirations of what we are to become as a people.
Corruption is a direct attack on the institution of democratic government.
Lost in greed and the hunger for power, a vicious circle sets in. People do not trust the government and the government distances itself from the people. Institutional decay and public apathy follows. Self government deteriorates as people feel that neither their voice nor their vote nor their effort matters. Society looks upon government to repair many of the ills that affect us.