PT Pos to relax monopoly on letter delivery: Official
JAKARTA (JP): Director General of Post and Telecommunications Sasmito Dirdjo said on Tuesday the monopoly on letter delivery held by state postal company PT Pos Indonesia would be lifted gradually.
Sasmito said the government would eventually agree on the demand to deregulate postal services by allowing private couriers to deliver letters weighing a minimum of 50 grams, as demanded by the Association of Indonesian Express Delivery Services (Asperindo).
Asperindo insisted on Monday the bill currently being drafted to modify Law No. 6/1984 on postal service contain drastic changes to the weight regulation, which it said only benefited PT Pos Indonesia.
"We'll do it step-by-step. The process isn't even finished and the government has not yet agreed on the bill," Sasmito said.
The bill is still being discussed by a team of officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, PT Pos Indonesia, former officials of PT Pos, philatelists, the Chamber of Commerce and Asperindo. They have all agreed that the weight regulation is inappropriate.
The government has proposed private companies be allowed to deliver letters, documents and other packages with the new minimum weight of 500 grams, a sharp cut from the five kilograms stipulated in the existing law.
Sasmito said discussions of the bill had not yet concluded and the bill, therefore, would not be submitted to the House of Representatives soon.
"It's still in the discussion phase. It is not final yet so Asperindo should not panic. Besides, they are also on the team, so why worry? It is fine if our proposals are not always accepted, isn't it?" Sasmito told The Jakarta Post by phone.
"The weight regulation in the (current) law is five kilograms. If we accept Asperindo's demand of 50 grams, it is just too drastic from five kilos to 50 grams. So we chose 500 grams."
Wrong way
Separately, PT Pos public relations manager Mohammad Sabarudin told the Post the company's monopoly was perceived in the wrong light.
"It's not in PT Pos' interest, it's for the benefit of the people," he said.
According to Sabarudin, with its monopoly PT Pos is obliged to deliver letters which private companies have the right to refuse.
He added that PT Pos also was obliged to guarantee the confidentiality of letters and documents.
"Private companies do not have that obligation. That is actually the meaning of the monopoly and the purpose of the weight regulation," he said.
"So why does Asperindo keep making its demands? If you ask them to deliver letters under 500 grams, will they take it? The market mechanism has been working all this time."
As for Asperindo's demand to redefine a "letter" because everything which comes in an envelope is considered a letter, Sabarudin said they were only referring to international postal service law. (hdn)