By Captain CoCo
Captain CoCo has been looking around again. This time, CoCo has stopped at the Registrar of Motor Vehicles — RMV. Almost every vehicle owner in the country knows this place. You go there to register a vehicle, transfer ownership, get a number plate, obtain a licence or complete one of the many other services connected with vehicles. In other words, RMV is not some distant government office that people can ignore. It is part of everyday life. So when a senior RMV officer is arrested in connection with an alleged bribery incident, people naturally begin to ask questions. Is this just about one officer? Or is it a sign that something much bigger needs to be looked at? Captain CoCo has also heard concerns about an officer who apparently started his career as a good and sincere government servant, but over time became closely connected with a group of colleagues and their way of doing things.
Today, there are questions about whether some people who look perfectly clean on the outside may be part of a network operating quietly behind the scenes. CoCo is not a judge, and CoCo is certainly not declaring anyone guilty. But when citizens keep raising questions, someone needs to stop and listen.
And what are ordinary people asking? Why does a simple government service sometimes feel so complicated? Why should someone have to worry that a number plate, registration or other routine service will not move unless some “extra” money changes hands? If there is an official fee, tell the citizen clearly. If there is an official procedure, follow it.
If there is a delay, explain why. Pay the fee, follow the rules and get the service. That should be the whole story. There are also questions about vehicles being processed without the necessary clearances or no-objection letters. If those documents are required, they should be required for everyone. If they are not required, why are people being asked for them?
Captain CoCo also cannot understand why government departments still struggle to share information that could help the country. RMV knows about vehicles and ownership. Customs knows about imports. Other government agencies hold other pieces of the same information. Why not connect the dots? Proper data sharing could help identify irregular transactions, improve compliance, reduce leakage and bring more revenue to the country. Instead, our government information sometimes behaves like neighbours who live next door but refuse to talk to each other.
Then there is another issue that deserves attention. Not everyone approaches the system from the same position. A large vehicle importer may have strong business connections and access to influential people, while a small dealer, broker or ordinary vehicle owner may simply have to stand at the counter and wait. That should not be how a public service works. A government service should not have a VIP lane just because someone knows the right person. And this is not an attack on every RMV officer. There are many honest public servants who go to work every day and try to do the right thing. They also suffer when a few people damage the reputation of the whole institution. Good officers need a system that supports them, protects them and makes it difficult for anyone to manipulate the process. Changing one person at the top will not be enough. The Government needs to look at the whole chain — who approves, who checks, who can change a decision, who has access to information, why files are delayed, why some services move faster than others and where the money is going. Most of these problems can be reduced if the system becomes genuinely digital, transparent and traceable.
So, Mr. President, Captain CoCo has a small request. Please don’t stop at the person who gets caught. Look at the system around that person. Look at the networks. Look at the delays. Look at the complaints. Look at the missing clearances. Look at the unofficial payments people talk about. Look at the information that is not being shared. And look at who benefits when a government process remains complicated. If the system is clean, let transparency show it. If there is a problem, let transparency expose it.
RMV is a public institution. It does not belong to a director, an officer, a group or a powerful network. It belongs to the people. It is time to open the doors, connect the databases, simplify the procedures, publish clear service standards, strengthen independent monitoring and make sure that an ordinary citizen receives the same treatment as someone with influence. A government department should never feel like a private castle. It should feel like a public service. Captain CoCo has asked the questions. Now it is time for those responsible to provide the answers. Until then, CoCo will be watching.
Mr. President, please watch closely too. Captain CoCo is watching.