By Washington Tumay Watson-onewash9@gamil.com
MONROVIA-The Minister of Poste and Telecommunication, Cllr. Cooper Kruah has disclosed that in recent times the traditional mailing system has declined due to the introduction of the internet.
According to him, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) indicated that they cannot do away with the traditional postal system.
“You cannot send packages through the internet, rather cybercrime is committed through the internet,” Minister Kruah indicated.
Minister Kruah said individuals and organizations need to send documents abroad in hardcopies including other items that of which the internet and that of the postal system are vital to such a sector.
Speaking on the state radio Tuesday in Paynesville Minister Kruah said lot of people are making use of the postal system in Liberia on a daily basis.
He told the media that his administration has addressed the safety of people’s mails from being tampering with as it used to be in the past by instituting a security system.
“When we took over, we understand that those were rampant, we dismissed few people who have completely stop playing with people mail, we have now put into place a system that was introduce by UPU, if you send a package from Liberia, we will give you a tracking number, you can track your package on your own phone until it gets to the destination”, he said.
He furthered that it is difficult for those who are responsible to post those packages to tamper with them now.
Speaking further that President George M. Weah did constitute a steering committee for the country’s digital migration that is chaired by the Minister of Information and co-chaired the Minister of Post and Telecommunications.
Minister Kruah said the committee has produced the strategy to the migration, indicating that the committee is holding discussion with some international partners including the viewing of some of the neighbors countries that have done with their digital migration among others.
He said that one of the factors that the Ministry was confronted with in the past to address the digital migration was the lack of budgetary support, stressing that the political and Administrative decision were made, but financial decision was not made.
Minister Kruah disclosed that the committee is working on a recommendation for a budget line on the digital migration process of the country.
Alphonso Toweh
Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters
He holds first MA with honors in International Relations and a candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia.