OUR VISION FOR TRANSFORMATION OF POSTAL SERVICES

Oct 08, 2017 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was established in the year 1874 in Bern, Switzerland and its anniversary is celebrated on October 9 every year. The anniversary of the Universal Postal Union was declared as World Post Day by the Universal Postal Union Congress in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.
Postal services improved vastly since the 17th Century when the Mail Coach (Britain) and the express Coaches that carried mail all over the USA. Since then countries around the world developed postage systems between countries, and the services played a great role in the daily life of humans. In the Twentieth Century, access to digital communication became the order of the day and some knee-jerk reactors were certain that the internet was going to cause the demise of the Post, but they were wrong.

This year, the UPU selected as the theme for World Post Day: “Transform to remain an enabler of inclusive development and an essential component of the global economy”.
As the Minister who holds responsibility for Telecommunications, Hon. Catherine Hughes is expected to play a leading role in the observances tomorrow by the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC). The crux of this event is the re-commissioning of the recently rehabilitated Kitty Post Office on Alexander St. The building has also been outfitted with new equipment and new procedures to better serve the community, and the process of transformation is not yet complete.
This Government is leading the nation in a totally new direction from what existed in 2015. We do have to catch up and stay abreast of the technologies that now run the world, but we would not sit idly by and waste our chances for a better life.
The GPOC falls under the umbrella of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications. After the initial shock at the physical condition of every single post office in Guyana, the absence of the most basic amenities such as seating for our senior citizens who visit every month to collect their pensions, Minister Hughes set herself the Herculean task of upgrading the postal systems and services, infusing them with modern technologies such as mail tracking apps, and ensuring that the Post remains relevant and NEEDED by the citizens.
In fact, this is exactly what most every country is doing/has done with their postal services.
“It is easy to assume that with the prevalence of technology, the post cannot survive,” the Minister said, adding that “Those who believe that are a bit shortsighted”. Certainly the Internet leads the way in person-to-person and business communications. The internet enables immediate communication, document exchange, and even meetings among people each sitting in different countries. The internet facilitates knowledge sharing, e-learning, skills training, university studies … this list is long. But in no way does it diminish the intrinsic value of the Post.
It may surprise you to learn that not one developed country has abandoned its postal service. Instead, governments have transformed their postal systems to provide other services, even for the people who spend the better parts of their days on Facebook, Pinterest, SnapChat or Whatsapp. To some it is also a surprise to learn that people still send letters and postcards. Here in Guyana, they must have the hard copies of birth certificates and business compliance certificates. The postal service still has to deliver gifts and light mail, and even heavy cargo sometimes.
GPOC has yet another advantage – its geographic reach. There are post offices in every single Administrative Region in Guyana even near the Pakaraima Mountains, or Jawalla Village, Upper Mazaruni. And it is the GPO that has to deliver mail to Masekenari located at the very bottom of Guyana, in the Deep South of the Rupununi.
Guyana’s inland terrain is hilly and mountainous. It is very difficult to traverse on the ground, whether by road or river. The most viable option is by air which is expensive for private carrier services. But GPO has been serving these territories for many decades, and the services are going to get better if Minister Hughes has her way. With approval, she intends to upgrade standing infrastructure (or build new ones), and modernize the systems. The Ministry’s plans include:
* Demolition of all derelict PO buildings
* Reconstruction of many Post Offices giving them energy-efficient layouts and customer-friendly facilities
* Computerize document handling, bill payment consolidation, money order transactions and billing systems
The Post Offices slated for major rehabilitation in 2018 are Buxton, Charlestown and Soesdyke in Region 4; Sisters Village in Region 6; and Danielstown in Region 2. The new buildings will have electronic security, Wifi and air conditioning.
The Ministry’s objective is to create multi-functional post offices that will deliver postal and public services, enabled with internet connections and computers.

CONCLUSION
This era of our lives is ALL about Transformation. The Universal Postal Union is the United Nations body responsible for postal services in the world. Only recently, the UPU awarded Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland, France, Japan and a few other developed nations for leading the transformation of their postal systems.
This is the same path that Guyana is pursuing, but with a twist, i.e. the conversion of many post office into fully equipped Community ICT hubs providing computers and facilities for eLearning, eCommerce along with public services. The first citizens who will benefit from this modernization live in inland areas. The Poor, Remote and Hinterland Communities initiative will provide the wherewithal for their growth.
The Minister is asking citizens to be assured that the post in Guyana is moving forward with new procedures and new technologies. “There is a lot that Guyanese have to look forward to, so I wish you a happy World Post Day.”