A contentious privatisation : a review of the Maltese postal service in the recent past

Abstract

In both the developed and the developing world, postal systems remain indispensable elements of the information infrastructure. Although after more than twenty years Sinclair's statement remains relevant, rapid changes in communications technology over the past decades have led many countries to re-evaluate their postal systems. In this regard Malta is no exception. The Maltese postal service has undergone a complete transformation in the recent past. Previously regarded as an important means of internal communication and as a vehicle that enabled contact with Maltese migrants in distant countries and provided facilities for the inward and outward remittance of funds, the postal service has in recent years joined the fray of competition, struggling in a world of liberalisation, privatisation and new strategies and practices. For many years the Government was the sole provider of the postal service in Malta. The service was not profit-oriented but was influenced by economic objectives and social criteria so that the Maltese postal administration would function efficiently within the constraints imposed by local conditions and at the same time remain at the service of Maltese citizens. [...]