The Department of Land Transport (DLT) and the Royal Thai Police (RTP) this week, once again, have acted as if they do not actually work in the same country.
The DLT on Tuesday told motorists they can start using a digital version of their driving licence on their mobile phone, which will let them drive without having to carry the hard copy.
However, the RTP insisted that it does not recognise the digital version. Motorists remain completely baffled.
This is another case that clearly demonstrates how Thai state agencies seem to work in completely different silos.
The DLT has already launched a "smart" system to digitalise driving licences. Motorists can just download a smartphone app, DLT QR Licence, to display an electronic version of their licence.
The app also displays their real-time physical location and personal information such as blood type and medical coverage, useful in the event of a traffic accident.
More importantly, the DLT said, they can show the digital driving licence to traffic police when requested at checkpoints.
Without the cooperation of the police, the DLT's other plan to electronically link the system to the RTP's traffic violation tickets has to be halted for now.
Inefficiency, red tape, endless paperwork and a lack of integration among agencies whose work overlaps have made this and other government services a tiresome business for members of the public.
For instance, consumers have said that their product/service complaints filed with the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) have made no progress if the cases overstep the jurisdiction of other agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration.
The consumers have complained the OCPB just forwards such cases without following up on them or working with those agencies.
Bangkok residents are repeatedly inconvenienced, for example, when using City Hall's pedestrian bridges because the walkways are blocked by electricity poles built by the Metropolitan Electricity Authority.
Like their peers, both agencies failed to consult one another before embarking on their respective plans to build these structures.
Without the government providing any clear directives on this matter, or a cooperative framework being set up on an ad-hoc basis, most state agencies end up only focusing on enforcing the law within their own jurisdiction.
The RTP cited the 1979 Land Transport Act, which requires police to check the hard copies of drivers' licences, as grounds for not accepting the digital version.
Finally, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith has proposed an amendment to the law. Approved during its first reading by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday, the bill recognises the digital driving licence and requires the DLT and RTP to jointly develop an electronic database to include motorists' personal details, previous traffic offences and vehicle registration.
The amendment will facilitate traffic police's work of recording new violations and deducting points from motorists who violate the traffic laws.
Police said it would take at least six more months for the law to take effect.
This, and many other hurdles that have made public services inefficient, can only be avoided if the government instructs all state agencies to work in concert and do away with their silo mentality for the sake of the public.