Recently, I posted two items by Pos Laju from Seremban to different addresses in Peninsular Malaysia. On each one, there was an additional payment to be made listed as a 'surcharge', this was plus 10 percent of the Pos Laju fee (exclusive of the 5 percent tax)

I questioned the post office clerk about this 'stealth' surcharge, and she showed me a circular issued by the Pos Malaysia Seremban office dated March 15, 2007 entitled 'Surcaj Bahanapi' (Fuel Surcharge). I have some questions:

  1. What is the justification for this 10 percent 'fuel surcharge'?

    There has been no recent increase in the pump prices of petrol or diesel fuel for motor vehicles. Even the cost of aviation fuel has declined recently, and anyway, in the Pos Laju Rates for destinations in Sabah and Sarawak, there is already a surcharge included as the rates are higher than for Peninsular Malaysia.

    In addition Pos Malaysia has recently been using a cheap foreign (Indonesian) freight airline to transport mail between the Peninsular and Sabah and Sarawak, so the actual cost should have come down, unless of course the public is being made to subsidise non-fuel efficient, old and perhaps substandard aircraft to compensate for losses resulting from the recent crash of one of these aircraft.

  2. Why was the public not informed about these surcharges?

    A circular could easily have been delivered to every household by the postman. Even on the Pos Malaysia website, there is no mention of this surcharge, as the rates are still the same as before. There is no recent press release listed, the last one being in January 2007.

The Pos Laju service is quite good, but is far from being as efficient as it pretends to be. Excellent service is a prerequisite before there can be any justification for price increases.

It is to be hoped that this 'stealth surcharge', which is tantamount to profiteering, is withdrawn, and that those who have been overcharged can be swiftly reimbursed.