SINCE the early 1800s, postal services have been a lifeline that connected the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore.
Eventually, these services extended their reach across other parts of Malaya and by the early 20th century, letters crisscrossed the land by dispatch riders or special messengers.
Instead of stamps, a fee was levied whenever these letters arrived at the post office.
As the Federated Malay States were formed, the posts and telegraphs department was set up on Jan 1, 1905, through the merger of the postal and telegraph services of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang.
Two years later the Malayan Postage Union was incorporated to cover the Federated Malay States, the Straits Settlements and Johor. Subsequently, by 1909, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu joined.
Upon the independence of Malaysia, the Postal Services Department was established as a government agency. - source Pos Malaysia
These formed the foundation for the establishment and rise of the nation’s premier postal firm today: Pos Malaysia.
The company was corporatised in 1992 and listed on Bursa Malaysia in 2001. It started diversifying into other services via its subsidiaries – Pos Logistics (logistics), Pos Ace(air cargo, eventually renamed World Cargo Airlines) and Pos Aviation (ground and cargo handling, inflight catering, aircraft maintenance and engineering).
Today, Pos Malaysia builds upon this legacy, offering an extensive network of retail experience through its core business segments while connecting with over 200 postal operators globally.
It has embraced technological solutions with elements of Industry 4.0 to keep in tandem with the industry’s demands, enabling it to position itself in the global market competing with international players.
Hence Pos Malaysia has redefined its mission from just delivering mail and parcels to become a future ecommerce centre to fulfil customers’ changing needs following the growth of ecommerce globally.
World Post Day
The postal community around the world celebrates World Post Day on Oct 9, to spread the awareness of the role the postal sector plays in the everyday lives of people and businesses.
It stands testament to the social and economic developments that postal services bring to many countries.
It also marks the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) establishment back in 1874.
The union’s aim was to coordinate the postal communications system among member countries, allowing for better flow in international mail around the world. As of today it has 192 member countries.
The union plays a crucial role in global communication and trade, even in an era of digital communication, as communities that have limited access to digital communication still rely on postal services for distribution of information and goods.
Playing a pivotal role
The Malaysian postal administration joined UPU as a member in 1958. As a current member of the UPU Operational Council, Malaysia has actively participated in the UPU Congress as well as in the meetings of its executive council.
This year is extra special for Malaysia as the country managed to retain its seat in UPU’s Council of Administration (CA) for the 2022-2025 term. Malaysia previously held the CA seat for the 2016-2021 term.
The country also won the Postal Operations Council (POC) seat at the 27th UPU Congress held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in August this year.
Malaysia’s success in defending the CA and winning the POC seats reflects the trust and recognition that the 192 member countries have for her leadership, which is a specialised body that guarantees a truly universal postal system, benefiting the global community.
Malaysia is also a current member of the Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) since 1976, an inter-governmental body for cooperation between postal administration and industry players worldwide.
Among APPU’s objectives is to extend, facilitate and improve postal relations between member countries and to promote cooperation in the field of postal services. In particular, it supports the interests of smaller and lower income members through representation at UPU meetings.
The Malaysian government is committed to promote greater access to postal services for its population by creating a conducive postal regulatory and development policy framework.
The aim is to make the country well connected both in urban and rural areas and to enhance the people’s productivity and quality of life.
The development of a modern and ubiquitous postal and courier service network that results in excellent service quality and innovative products by industry players is essential.
The future of postal services
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the decline of letters but spurred ecommerce parcel growth with the increase in online shopping. Last-mile delivery companies have scaled up dramatically because of the volume increase.
To survive the situation, change is inevitable. Postal and courier industry players must revamp their business models and seek ways to establish themselves as partners of different digital commerce businesses, serving both consumers and e-retailers and establishing themselves as digital commerce enablers.
Current priorities include enhancing interoperability and implementing cross-border tracking and transparent return service.
Innovations such as pick-up drop-off points should be introduced in the coming years for better customer experience.
The industry is also considering employing electrical three-wheeler (3W) vehicles for parcel deliveries, as this will boost the capacity of a normal rider delivery box by 15 times – shortening last mile delivery times and minimising carbon footprint.