Common man, don't tell me that it's okay to lose money because it was sent
in the wrong way! And, I'm not doing business, I'm simply writing to my
people and dropping in a little bread for them.
First of all, it is not just money that gets lost or stolen. Even
simple letters and packages get lost. Why, because the postal thugs
suspect there might be money.
Secondly, while sending cash in letters is discouraged even in the US,
Europe, etc... those letters do arrive anyway. Why, because no one opens
them. In other words, people trust the system and the system does not
betray that trust.
That's all I'm asking for! To stop the thieves and restore the
trust. I'm aware my way was not the safest - but should that absolve the
PO? Then what do you say about money-less letters and packages that get
lost? Must we certify and register every piece of mail now?
In any case, remember I'm not worried just about my loss. It is the
people back home and the economy that have lost out for the last 5 or so years
because of the postal thieves. And that's real and we must deal with it -
not by certifying/registering mail BUT by rooting out the bad elements!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:30
AM
Subject: Re: ugnet_: Post Office
Undermining Uganda's Economy
Mwaami Musana-Manyindo,
I would like to start off by feeling very sorry for your
dilemma,but
having thus said,I think the arguments against the post office
being
valid as they stand,need a lot of a second thoughtful look
at.Sending
money like you did,for the reasons you indicated was good,but then
you were using the wrong procedure!.That many times then,the money
reached your in need parents/friends et al was not to be taken that that
was the proper methods of doing business.
Shortcuts are usually the fastest but never the safest way!.This is the
lesson we learn from this.
Post office can still and do still transmit monies from one place to the
other,but then you have to duly pay for their services.If you take a
risk
and you lose out on your risk taking,Brother I do not think we really
have to blame the Post Office and hence fail to accept
responsibilities
for our un orthodox methods.
You lost those unregistered parcels and it is indeed too bad,but then
let's follow the correct ways and perchance the same happens,I will
be with you up in arms 101%.
Thank you.
Kipenji.
============================================================
Charles
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Dear Editor,
Allow me to air my grievance regarding the Uganda Postal Service
because I think individuals or "rings" of crooks at the Post Office are
doing a disservice to our Economy.
I have lived outside the country for over ten years. When I was
attending school in the United States, I used to send a few dollars now and
then to friends and members of my family. I would simply fold
a $20 note inside a letter and send the "letter"
to Uganda. Being in school then, money was tight and I
couldn't afford to send hundreds at a time via electronic transfer.
But I was always ELATED to receive a letter from family or friend telling me
they had received their little "sugar". Of course it always found them
"completely broke" and I was their "savior". I derived a lot of
pleasure from that (at the micro level) - and so I'm sure did the Ugandan
economy (at the macro level). I'm sure many fellow Ugandans in the
Diaspora were doing just that. I don't know if I can say I
was proud of our Postal System at that point. I appreciated their
service. I guess I simply assumed they were doing their job -
delivering mail to addressees!
Well, have things changed! I'm still abroad BUT I am not sending
those "letters" anymore. Those thieving thugs at the Post Office have
deterred me. After losing several letters - not reaching the
addressees - I gave up! I lost several hundred dollars in these
letters, some of which contained small birthday gifts for
kids.
So, let's see - now that I've stopped, who has lost? At
the micro level, loss begins with me. I no longer get that
elation at receiving thankful messages from home. Well, that's
only psychological and I shouldn't be complaining. But how about my
Aunt who cannot raise $50 school fees for my cousin, or my father who needs
$100 to visit a specialist, or my old friend who has lost his job
and cannot pay $80 rent for the next two months? Now, at micro
level, these are the real LOSERS! When they write to me, or when I
learn about their needs, there's no easy way for me to send them that
"little" money (especially from where I live in the U.S. Pacific).
Why, because those nasty thugs at the Post Office will grab it before it
gets to them.
The LOSER at the Macro level is of course the Economy. Yes, the
economy could wait for the hundreds or thousands I'll send through
electronic funds (or wire) transfer. The question here is, How many
such transfers will I make in one year? Probably not too many.
At the Macro level, those small "letter" transfers sum up to a
lot. Think of 10,000 Ugandans abroad sending $50 "letters" each month
- that's $500,000 in remittances a month, a big boost for the economy in
terms of purchasing power and foreign exchange.
The Postal System has BETRAYED our trust and in so
doing has undermined and continues to undermine our economy. Yet
postal services are supposed to be built on trust. A lot of
these $20s that should have come home end up being spent locally
or elsewhere. It doesn't make sense to "wire" someone $20 when the
cost of the wire transfer itself is $50 or even more!
I saw some figures on Ugandans' remittances recently - saying that they
had grossed more $$ than coffee exports. Well, the remittances could
be much higher, and even though the type I've mentioned might go
undocumented, their effect will be nonetheless real.
I don't know who is in charge at the Post Office but whoever is, now
you know. Because of your people - I hesitate to say "you"
- there're lots of dollars not flowing in - and trust me, dollars have
a way of finding "elsewhere" to go!
Charles Musana-Manyindo
U.S. Pacific Islands
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