Articles

The culture of corruption that for so long —and through different means— has bled public finances must be fought to the last consequences so that in Puerto Rico sound government administration becomes the norm.

In a firm denunciation of the behaviors that lead public service to degradation, Comptroller Yesmín Valdivieso explained —though in other words— the contempt and indifference with which governments have historically received the corrective observations of the Office of the Comptroller.

The hasty manner in which decisions are made with public money, the favoritism that accompanies many contracts in the different branches of government —including the municipalities—, has traditionally left catastrophic budgetary losses and damages, often irreparable, to the structures of service to citizens.

“I would like to see at some point that contracts are done well, that the amendments (to those contracts) are no longer made retroactively; to see that all quotes are requested. I do not want to see another finding that a job is given to an engineer without a license. We have been making these observations for years, I understand that they do not pay attention to us, it is frustrating”, Valdivieso stated indignantly in an interview granted to EL VOCERO and reported in our edition this past Monday.

Unless they declare themselves accomplices to the prevailing impunity, the other oversight agencies, such as the Department of Justice, must take seriously and address in the correct direction all the referrals made by the Office of the Comptroller. And the heads of the state and municipal agencies and instrumentalities to which the necessary observations are made to straighten out processes and prevent corruption are obligated to do the same.

At other times, Valdivieso has also condemned how public money is used to pay for services that have not been provided; how fraud is allowed; how —repeatedly— unnecessary and excessive contracts are awarded in government areas in which there are regular employees with the capacity to effectively do the work in question.

That frustration expressed by the Comptroller must lead the oversight system to confront with the same corrective rigor both the administrative irregularities that arise from incompetence, and the schemes criminally structured to defraud the treasury.

This must be stopped, because the social cost of corruption is very high and destructive.

Since the tenure of the now deceased former Comptroller Ramón Rivera Marrero —who was in that office from 1978 to 1986—, it is estimated that in Puerto Rico bad decisions and corruption cause the annual loss of up to 10% of the government budget. The calculation is simple: under that scheme, of a budget of $9,000 million, some $900 million would be squandered or stolen.

Since its creation in 1952, that office has issued more than 10,000 reports on agencies, in the effort to ensure things are done right. However, the lack of consequence is common; impunity is endemic; and free spending, scandal, influence peddling and disrespect for public resources are common.

It is urgent that —just as is done with the federal authorities— an efficient working dynamic between the Office of the Comptroller and the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico takes firm hold, so that there is joint investigative work that culminates in the prosecution of those crimes.

By forcefully expressing her frustration and her indignation, Comptroller Yesmín Valdivieso is making at this time an invaluable contribution to the fight against corruption.

Consistently she has been doing her part. In this battle, then, the Country cannot leave her alone.