OPINION: Justified suspicions of politicians’ honesty

It seems like a thing of prehistory that, in the XXI century, citizens do not know details of who governs us. This obscurantism leads to suspicions –and very justified ones– about the honesty of politicians. For example: why can’t sworn statements of assets be disclosed, if the purpose is precisely to ensure that assets have not grown disproportionately while a person holds public office? What are they hiding? If someone decides to be a public servant, they must consider that they will lose part of their privacy, so they cannot aspire to keep income or assets secret —before and after leaving the Government— nor can they be considered just any citizen, since they are part of the machinery that governs the country and, consequently, due diligence or “due diligence” on his past and his present, even on what he thinks on some issues. It is what banks practice as the “know your customer” policy. Well, citizens constantly need to “know your ruler.” But we cannot do it due to a lack of transparency, which is why, in this matter, we are still in the 19th century. – LA PRENSA, Mar. 11.