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The bill related to the privatization of the postal services was passed by
the House of Representatives. Even though some members of the Liberal
Democratic Party voted against it, the bill passed by a slim margin of 5
votes, with 233 for and 228 against privatization.
I have been advancing structural reforms under the policies of "leave
to the private sector what it can do" and "leave to the localities what
they can do." It is at the heart of such reforms that the privatization of
the postal services lies.
The bill sets out a structure whereby the private sector will manage
the three postal services--mailing, savings, life insurance-- which are
currently operated by about 400,000 civil servants. The bill will ensure
that the creativity and innovation of the private sector are harnessed to
provide services that respond precisely to people's needs. Not only that,
the injection of private sector knowledge will enable funds amounting to
340 trillion yen in postal savings and life insurance to be operated
efficiently. The bill is therefore an important pillar that will support
the revitalization of the economy by realizing "small government."
The bill has been compiled in a way that gives ample consideration to
maintaining post offices in sparsely populated areas and on isolated
outlying islands. Once privatization is realized, post offices will not be
confined to providing the three services they have provided to date.
Instead, they will have the freedom to venture into different lines of
business, fully utilizing the knowledge and ingenuity that characterizes
the private sector.
Tuesday's passing of the bill at the plenary session came after a
cumulative total of about 110 hours of heated debate in the special
committee, where opinions were raised by those in support of as well as
those against the bill.
People agree to the general idea of the policy to "leave to the private
sector what it can do." Once we get into concrete discussions of
privatization of the postal services, however, deep-rooted opposition
becomes apparent. I have been battling against a chorus of dissenting
voices in order to bring opinion together, both externally and internally.
We are at last approaching the ultimate target of the reforms.
The bill will now be deliberated in the House of Councilors. I will
brace myself and give my all to ensure this bill is enacted. |
