VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

State-owned postal company PT Pos Indonesia has collaborated with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) to provide universal post service (LPU) through the opening of supporting branch offices in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) as well as border areas.

The existence of LPU offices can directly help educate the people on non-cash transactions, the president director of PT Pos Indonesia, Faizal R. Djoemadi, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

This is because there is almost no bank office in those regions, thus automatically, many people there do not have bank account numbers.

"Government programs are now oriented toward a cashless society. Not just in cities, but also all of Indonesia," he explained.

"This is because, for the government, the more cashless a society is, the more efficient the economy becomes. We are also there to provide financial services," he added.

According to Djoemadi, the unveiling of LPU supporting branch offices for 3T regions was carried out simultaneously at 2 locations, Jakarta and Mandalika in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on February 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, Hutagalung said that as part of the collaboration, the government will provide a budget through the Finance Ministry.

Kominfo will supervise its implementation while Pos Indonesia will carry out the services, he said.

The newly unveiled branch offices comprise 8 LPU offices in Regional 1 Sumatra, 13 LPU offices in Regional 5 East Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, and 15 LPU offices in Regional 6 Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan.

In 2023, the government has allocated an LPU fund of Rp378 billion (US$25.4 million) for operational purposes for 2,375 LPU offices along with other post service units, which serve more than 70 percent of the 7,266 sub-districts in Indonesia.

Hutagalung said that his side conducted direct monitoring and reporting that must be conveyed to Pos Indonesia.

"We encourage PT Pos to come directly to the people. This is done to trigger economic growth," he said.

While the LPU offices are located in 3T areas, the rates will be set directly by the government, he added. (Antaranews)