PUTRAJAYA, Oct 9 — A postal and courier services industry planning laboratory will be set up on Monday (October 12) for two weeks to chart the future direction of the industry, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
The laboratory which would be participated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), industry players and related agencies would discuss a strategic plan to bolster the capability of the industry as well as providing the best service to consumers,” he said.
In a statement issued in conjunction with World Post Day which is celebrated on October 9 annually, he said technological and lifestyle changes have brought new challenges to the postal and courier industry.
“The volume of letters posted is falling while the emergence of the gig economy saw the work of postmen no longer carried out in the conventional manner.
“This calls for a paradigm shift in the current postal and courier services sector which has 111 licence holders to ensure the industry continues to be viable,” he said.
Saifuddin also expressed his appreciation of the services of postal and courier personnel throughout the country who continued to struggle to help Malaysians to go through the movement control order (MCO).
“While other sectors are experiencing slowdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the postal and courier services sector is still expanding and generating part-time employment for those who lost their jobs,” he said.
During the implementation of the MCO, Pos Malaysia Berhad had provided employment to 1,400 part-time post riders while other courier service companies also employed more people to cope with the increasing parcel volume during the period.
To assist small and medium entrepreneurs who are trading online, postal and courier service companies have introduced the Prihatin postal package with only a RM5 charge for parcels weighing below one kilogramme from April to this month, he said.
— Bernama
