Since rules, transparency, the threat of punishment are the only way to constrai

Since rules, transparency, the threat of punishment are the only way to constrain them, I think I understand your meaning as ‘let’s just be honest about it’, and say they have X responsibilities within Y limits constrained by Z potential punishments, rather than to pretend they are in fact public benevolent public servants instead of paid actors subject to the same corruptibility as everyone else?