Bangladesh postal services—a lesson from UK

The UK Postal service delivered two billion Christmas presents including 1.5 billion fancy cards to the families and friends of the British inhabitants of 60 million people in December last year alone. There was also a massive spree of consumers spending for dresses, cosmetics and gifts for children, and for the Christmas trees that are illuminated in each house across the country as part of Christmas celebration on 25th of December. Christmas celebrations create consumers boom with its spin-off effect on economic growth and employment apart from social and human interactions.
The British government invested heavily in late 80's for the infrastructure development on the logistics of Postal Service, its automatic sorting system, and expanded and leased out postal shops to small enterprises to facilitate services within the reach of every citizen. This encouraged the people to use the post office more including buying greeting cards, chocolates, and newspapers and journals. Most of these outlets are run by East African Indian immigrant families. It also makes payments of pension and social security benefits. These enterprises work as national savings bank and sell savings certificates, freight and insurance, tickets, and distribute government publicity and educational material. It is a massive micro multi-functional industry that the entire population depends on.
Bangladesh postal services are in diabolical mess. Because of its non-proximity to most of the people, its services are hardly used despite the fact that an envelop costs only two taka against fifteen taka charged by the private courier services for the same. In fact the postal service is over billion taka Industry, but unfortunately our government can not comprehend. If expanded like the UK, the Bangladesh postal service can be a massive functional organisation to the benefit of the common people, particularly the poor and the lower middle class.
Although half of the country's GDP originates in the service sector, there is no coherent policy in Bangladesh on service sector. The worldwide service sector is growing at a faster pace than the goods sector, but Bangladesh can not take this challenge.
High quality service will not only help to reduce the deficit in the 'service balance', but it will also contribute to increasing efficiency and competitiveness of the overall economy.
We can also make our two Eid festivals as events of exchanging gifts and greeting cards among friends and families and at the same time transform the national postal services the way the British government did. This will not only benefit the consumers, but boost the national economy as well.  
The writer, a pensioner of the British government, writes                  from Uttara, Dhaka. mfkarim41@gmail.com