"Do away with postage stamps"

Extracted from The Straits Times, November 16, 2009 (Forum Page)

I received a mild shock of disbelief when I read Mr Lim Chong Teck's letter "Do away with postage stamps" in the Straits Times Forum Page of November 10, 2009 (reproduced below).

As an avid stamp collector in my primary schooldays, the first thought that struck my mind when I read the headline was: "Oh dear, this is going to be a killjoy for stamp collectors".

I then emailed the Straits Times the same day to express my personal concern.

The edited version of my letter appeared in today's Straits Times as shown in the image above.

The official reply from Ms Patsie Tan, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Singapore Post "Stamps are icons of nation's achievements, heritage" is a source of comfort for stamp collectors. Many international stamp collectors find the designs of stamps printed in Singapore attractive, colorful and unique. The Singapore postage stamps are the "icons of our nation's achievements and heritage" as aptly described by Ms Patsie Tan.

Ever since the first postage stamp, the "Penny Black" was issued on May 6, 1840, the postage stamp designs issued by every country has evolved for over a century. The artwork and designs of postage stamps today has become more creative and theme-specific.

It is heartening to note that SingPost understands the intrinsic values that stamps are collected and goes beyond revenue consideration with regards to the feasibility of replacing traditional postage stamp with computer-printed labels (as suggested by Mr Lim Chong Teck in his letter). The postal authorities are mindful to cater to the needs of stamp collectors worldwide.

Mr Lim Chong Teck's letter which appeared in The Straits Times, November 10, 2009 Forum Page.

According to the Universal Postal Convention 2004 Bucharest Congress Annex paragraph 8 of the "Philatelic code of ethics for the use of UPU member countries, "Administrations pledge to abide by this code of conduct in order to ensure the long-term survival of the philatelic market in each country".

The 2004 Bucharest Congress, in "Recommendation C 26/2004", also reaffirms its commitment to the production of high quality, ethical stamps, and to a vibrant philatelic market.

The "Philatelic code of ethics" is found here

I hope the article is not quoted out of context, as the constitution of the UPC, with its legal terminologies, is too complex for me to understand.

The fact that there is a "vibrant" "philatelic market in each country" appears to me that the Universal Postal Union recognises that "postage stamps are more than a mode for payment of postage" (as eloquently explained by Ms Patsie Tan in her reply).

The link to the   "ReTRIeVIA"  blog was also provided in the published letter. Please visit the blog to discover the wonderful world of stamp collecting.