Minister Fadli Zon: Postal Museum to Become Modern Educational Space

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has emphasised the government’s commitment to preserving national cultural heritage by developing museums into spaces for education and strengthening national identity. The statement was made during a working visit to the Indonesian Postal Museum and the Bandung Post Office on Jalan Cilaki, West Java. The visit is part of a strategic agenda to ensure thematic museums remain relevant to the public, particularly the younger generation. Fadli Zon stressed that museums hold value beyond merely storing ancient objects. “The Postal Museum does not just keep collections, but tells the story of the nation’s journey. The role of the post was very important in Indonesia’s history, including during the struggle for independence,” he said via an official statement on Saturday. During the review, the minister observed various collections documenting the development of postal and communication services in the country. These collections include classic postal equipment, various stamp series, post boxes from different eras, and historical archives that serve as authentic evidence of past communications. In addition to the museum, Fadli Zon also visited the Bandung Post Office building, which has stood for more than a century. Given its status as a cultural heritage site, he assessed that the building possesses very high historical value and deserves to be proposed for national cultural heritage recognition. The minister noted that museums play a strategic role in improving public literacy. He expressed hope that the Postal Museum could revive the culture of letter writing as a form of personal expression and a means of strengthening human connections amidst the digital era. The government is also paying attention to the tradition of philately, considering stamps as part of material culture that visually records important events and the nation’s identity over time. As a concrete effort to strengthen literacy, the Ministry of Culture recorded the success of last year’s letter-writing competition for national heroes, which was attended by over 34,000 participants from various educational levels. All letters were handwritten, affixed with stamps, and sent through PT Pos Indonesia’s services. Director of Commercial at PT Pos Indonesia, Fahdel Akbar, welcomed the minister’s visit, stating that government support provides significant motivation to continue developing the Indonesian Postal Museum into a modern and interactive educational space for visitors. The Ministry of Culture is committed to improving the quality of exhibition arrangements, strengthening historical narratives, and integrating digital technology in thematic museums to attract public interest and reinforce Indonesia’s cultural identity on the global stage.